Balancing Act
by djenie
Summary: General O'Neill meets Lieutenant O'Neill! Tie to S7 episode Fragile Balance. Takes place about 2 years later just before Season 9. Disclaimer: I know nothing about the USAF beyond TV, so I'm sure there are errors. Rated T. This story is COMPLETE, the last chapter going up today. Thank you for reading!
1. Chapter 1

Stargate Command Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

The SGC had been quiet all morning. No flashing red lights, no teams returning from off world missions, no gate activity of any kind. People walked at a normal pace through the corridors, and spoke in conversational tones. No hurry, no worries.

Not even a phone call! That left General Jack O'Neill with nothing to do but paperwork. And he hated paperwork. In front of him were the cafeteria menus for the next two weeks, and requisitions for the twice-monthly kitchen supplies waiting for his approval. He checked to make sure Fruit Loops and lemon meringue pie were generously available, then scribbled something illegible across the bottom of the page. O'Neill had always sneered at the hen scratching of doctors and others whose jobs made frequent signatures necessary. Now he understood.

The next stack demanding his attention was the previous day's mission reports. Three teams - SG 4, 7, and 12 - had returned from totally uneventful recons the day before, and their reports were just as boring as the trips had been. Nonetheless, Jack read each brief narrative carefully, shaking his head at the thought that something as incredible as off-world travel through a wormhole could possibly have become so commonplace as to be called boring. He himself would give his right arm - well maybe his left, after all he was right-handed - to be back with SG1 traveling through the gate to _anywhere._

He glanced at the clock. Eleven forty-two. Close enough to lunch time and a brief respite from ennui - did he really think that word? Maybe Teal'c would be in the cafeteria. Or Carter, or Daniel. Even Siler or Dr. Lee. He slid the reports into their folder.

As if on cue, Sergeant Walter Harriman appeared at the door, his arms full of yellow folders.

"Just in time, Walter. Drop those and let's go to lunch." He stood and stepped from behind the desk.

Harriman, of course, ignored the invitation. "These are the new personnel files, General. You told me to remind you to go over them today."

O'Neill narrowed his eyes. "I did?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, of course I did. And now you've done your job and reminded me." He headed for the door. "Just plunk 'em down on my desk. With a little luck they'll slide off into the circular file. Coming?"

"No thank you, sir. I'm on duty in the control room in fifteen minutes."

"OK. Your loss," Jack tossed back over his shoulder as he stepped out into the corridor, closed the door behind him and nodded to a passing airman. He turned the corner into the intersecting corridor and headed for the elevator.

As he reached out to swipe his access card, there was suddenly a brilliant flash of light. Jack O'Neill vanished.

Six miles above the Gulf of Mexico, 130 miles SSW of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

The two jet fighters screamed northwest, wingtip to wingtip, their speed perfectly coordinated.

In the starboard plane the pilot spoke into his mike. "Jaybird, this is Black Bear. Execute maneuver Beta 14 on my mark. Acknowledge."

The response was clear in the earpiece. "Black Bear, this is Jaybird. Beta 14. Acknowledged."

"Three, two, one - mark!"

The two fighters broke into a series of tight turns, performed in perfect unison, and ending in a steep two-mile dive. When the maneuver was finished they were still wingtip to wingtip, the distance between them having varied no more than three meters.

The lead pilot spoke again into his mouthpiece. "Nicely done, O'Neill! You're a natural at this!"

"Thank you, sir." Second Lieutenant Jay O'Neill replied, smiling at Major Donald Nash's compliment. "Bear" Nash was one of the best flight instructors in the Air Force; praise from him was not to be taken lightly.

"How long did you say you've been flying?"

"This is my twelfth week of flight training, sir. But I started flying small planes when I was sixteen." Of course Jay did not mention that those first flights had taken place in 1968 - thirty-seven years ago, in a different lifetime.

Nash glanced over at O'Neill's cockpit. "Excellent job, lieutenant. Return to altitude now, and we'll head back…" He broke off abruptly as O'Neill's cockpit exploded in brilliant white light. O'Neill's fighter veered sharply away, and plunged toward the water below.

"O'Neill!" Nash slammed his own craft into a dive, engines whining, as he chased the other plane downward. "O'Neill! What the hell happened?! O'Neill - acknowledge!" His call was unanswered. He thumbed his transmitter to the emergency frequency. "Eglin - this is Nash - Alpha217! Position 28.14 North, 87.53 West! Aircraft down! I repeat, aircraft down…"


	2. Chapter 2

****From djenie; Apologies for not responding to the reviews. I really appreciate them, but am just learning how the site works, and am not sure how to send a reply. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

Second Chapter:

**Somewhere in Earth orbit**

The two O'Neills materialized simultaneously on the bridge of an Asgaard ship. The general was leaning slightly forward, hand raised, holding his access card. He blinked, looked around, and dropped his arm. The lieutenant fell two feet to land on his backside, his fingers still grasping vanished controls. He cursed fluently.

Jack's eyebrows rose as he recognized his own voice - blurting some of his favorite swears - issuing from inside the lieutenant's flight helmet.

"Hey, Junior!" Jack interrupted the tirade. "Watch your language! There's a superior officer present."

Jay swiveled sharply and stared up at the older man. After a moment, he slowly removed the helmet.

"My apologies, O'Neill - and O'Neill." The thin voice belonged to a small, gray humanoid, seated in the ship's command chair. "I hope you are all right… um… Lieutenant."

"Oh, just peachy." Jay set his helmet on the deck and ran a hand through sandy brown hair that was pushing the limits of a military cut. (_I made sure mine was cut every two weeks, thought Jack to himself_.) "I always enjoy a good smack on the butt," Jay went on. "Keeps me alert." He stood up in one smooth motion.

Jack noticed with a trace of envy the agility of the younger man as he rose. No sign of pain in _his_ joints. That was me once, Jack thought, without irony.

Jack also noticed that the two of them were of a height, and that the younger O'Neill had filled out, broadened in face and form, so that the resemblance between them was now complete. He frowned.

"You've grown up fast," he noted. "It's only been…what? Two years?"

"Twenty-three months, actually. And I noticed that myself," Jay replied, eyeing the graying hair, the lines in the other man's face - things he had eventually become accustomed to _not_ seeing whenever he looked into a mirror. "In fact, I had to change schools three times to keep from arousing suspicion. By the end of that first year, I was in a senior class in a school in Minnesota. Finally gave up when I realized I looked too old to be in high school, and joined the Air Force."

"No kidding. Couldn't stay away, huh?" Jack quipped. Then he shivered. It sounded like he was talking to himself. Which he was. Sort of. Where was Carter? She could explain all this.

"Yeah, missed it," Jay grinned. "Anyway, it seems the aging process for clones doesn't exactly correspond to the original."

"You are correct," the Asgaard, _it was Thor_, agreed. "And that is why you are both here."

"Really?" Jack and Jay replied in unison. Each shot the other a mildly irritated look as they stepped closer to Thor's chair.

"What exactly do you mean?" Jay asked.

"As you know, Lieutenant, there was a fatal flaw in your DNA structure when you were created."

"Oh, yeah - how could I forget, since I was the one who was dying. But you fixed that. Didn't you?"

"So I believed," Thor said. "However, our genetic engineers have been reviewing your case. Actually all of Loki's activities and all of his records from the beginning have been under scrutiny - otherwise they would have discerned this problem much sooner. Our apologies for that."

"Accepted."

"Just what did they discover?" Jack demanded.

"As I'm sure you recall, the original DNA sequencing for the clones Loki created had the built-in flaw which caused their breakdown and destruction once they had served Loki's purpose."

"Disposable people," Jack growled. "Replacing the ones he kidnapped while he did his little experiments on them, so that nobody noticed they were missing."

Thor nodded. "Indeed. And, as you also know, we Asgaard had placed a special marker in your DNA in order to prevent any manipulation of your genetic code. Unfortunately when I corrected Loki's destructive gene, I failed to consider all of the effects that marker might have on your DNA's functions."

"I see," Jay interjected. "The marker somehow caused a mutation in my DNA which increased the replication rate. So my aging process has been sped up."

"You are correct."

Jack frowned at his younger self. "You understand what he's talking about?"

"Yes, of course," Jay glanced at him. "And cut out the dumb act. I know you too well, remember."

Jack grunted wordlessly. To Thor he said, "So this is serious, I take it."

"It is. The lieutenant has aged approximately 9.6 years in 23 months."

"Even I can do that math," Jack said. He looked at Jay. "So he's getting older at about five times the normal rate. That means…"

"It'll only be four or five years until I'm you again," Jay finished. "Or until I'm me again." He grinned. "Who said 'live fast, die young'?"

Jack stared at him for several heartbeats, his expression gone dead serious, then spoke to Thor. "Can you fix this, too?"

"Yes, we believe we can," Thor replied. As if on cue, a door across the room slid open and another Asgaard entered the bridge. "This is Alvis, one of our leading genetic experts. He has been working on the problem."

Alvis's voice was higher and lighter than Thor's. "I shall attempt to adjust the marker we originally placed in your DNA," he said. "It should be a simple process. Of course I cannot absolutely guarantee the results."

"Alvis developed the marker originally." Thor added. "No one understands its function better than he."

"So what could happen if it doesn't work?" Jay asked.

"I estimate a 10% percent chance that the procedure will change nothing, and you will continue aging as you are," Alvis said, "and a very small chance - less than .1% that the process could be sped up; by how much I cannot predict."

"That's almost 90% chance of success," Jay said. "And almost none that things will get worse. Sounds like good odds to me."

** "**Very well," Alvis nodded. "I will need a sample of the original DNA."

"Aha," Jack said brightly. "I wondered why I was here."

"Yes, O'Neill," Thor agreed. "The successful outcome depends on you."

"I see." Jack frowned, appearing to concentrate.

"What?" Jay demanded.

"I'm thinking…"

Jay snorted. "We played this scene already. Get going!"

The two of them followed Alvis through the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

**SGC Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain**

_Now_ the red lights were flashing, security doors sliding shut, and armed soldiers rapidly moving to their alert stations. The earlier peace had ended abruptly.

Colonel Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c converged on the conference room almost simultaneously. Sgt. Harriman was already there.

"Report, sergeant!" Carter demanded.

"Colonel, General O'Neill seems to be missing."

"_Seems_ to be?" Daniel repeated.

"Yessir. I spoke to him in his office twenty minutes ago. He left there and hasn't been seen since. He doesn't answer all-call and he hasn't left the facility."

"Did he say where he was going?" Teal'c asked.

"To lunch," Harriman told them.

"Maybe he's just being Jack and playing possum," Daniel suggested. "Did anyone check the men's room?"

"Yessir. All of them," Harriman said. "And his quarters."

Teal'c turned to look at Daniel. "Possum?"

"Later." Carter waved a hand to head off what could be a serious tangent. "Sergeant, have the security camera disks on this entire level pulled for the past half hour."

"Sergeant Siler is doing that as we speak, Colonel," Harriman assured her. "I told him to pull the disks from the cafeteria level also."

"Good," Carter nodded. "And the elevators." Harriman nodded. Sam went on; "If nothing shows up there we'll start checking the other levels. But I don't think it'll be necessary."

"What are you thinking?" Daniel looked at Sam.

"The Asgaard," Teal'c said.

Sam nodded. "Possibly. There aren't too many ways he could have vanished so quickly. The Asgaard have beamed him away without warning before."

"We haven't heard from Thor lately," Daniel said. "Since the replicators were neutralized the Asgaard have been concentrating on their domestic concerns - like correcting their cloning problem."

The intercom on the conference table buzzed. Sam reached over and pressed the switch.

"Carter here."

"Colonel." Siler's voice. "The security images are up now on your monitor."

"Thank you, sergeant."

Daniel picked up the remote control and pressed the power button. The monitor lit with a view of the corridor outside O'Neill's office. Two airmen walked by from left to right; a moment later another airman went past in the opposite direction.

Sam was about to tell Daniel to fast forward when the office door opened and O'Neill emerged, speaking back over his shoulder.

He shut the door behind him and turned right. A few yards down the hallway he made a left turn out of sight.

"Switch to the camera in the intersecting corridor," Sam said.

Daniel manipulated the control. From a different angle in the second corridor they watched the General turn the corner again and walk toward the elevator. There he stopped, took his access card from his shirt pocket, reached out to swipe it in the reader - and vanished in a distinctive flare of white light.

"Asgaard," Teal'c stated.

"Yes," Carter agreed.

Daniel rubbed a hand through his hair. "I wonder what's up."

The three of them eyed one another.

"Any orders, Colonel?" Harriman asked.

Carter considered. "Back off the alert to level two. Keep extra guards in strategic areas - gate room, control room, corridor intersections, etc. We'll stay on our toes just in case. The Asgaard are friendlies, but we don't know what's happening."

"Yes, ma'am." Harriman left the room.

"I guess there's nothing to do except wait," Daniel said. "Should we cancel gate travel for now?"

"There's nothing scheduled for the next four hours," Sam told him. "Hopefully something will happen by then. If not, we'll decide what to do next."

As they stood up to leave the conference room, Teal'c turned to Daniel. "Possum?"


	4. Chapter 4

**SGC Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain**

Two hours passed, of which Daniel spent nearly twenty minutes trying to explain to Teal'c the meaning of 'playing possum.'

"But why should O'Neill pretend to be dead in the men's restroom, Daniel Jackson?"

Daniel pulled out a little hair. "Not dead, Teal'c, just out of sight, unavailable, you know. Hiding!"

Teal'c's eyebrow neared his hairline. "And this behavior is named for a small marsupial?"

"Look it up on Wikipedia, Teal'c! I'm sure it's there."

"I shall. After I attend to my inspection of the security detail."

He turned and strode away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Daniel headed quickly for his lab.

Daniel attempted to continue working on the translation which had been interrupted. But it was impossible to concentrate. The symbols on the tablet he was studying refused to make any sense. Sam had gone to the the control room to oversee any communications that might come in from the Asgaard. Teal'c was no doubt working on the security details (or googling possum). At last Daniel gave up and headed back toward the conference room.

He passed armed guards stationed at every intersection and limited-access doorway. In the conference room, three soldiers with automatic weapons were now on duty.

Teal'c sat at the conference table, consulting with Major Keller, the head of security. Both men were armed; Teal'c with a zat and Keller with a regulation sidearm.

Daniel made himself comfortable at the far end of the long table, not wanting to interrupt, but within minutes the other men rose and Keller left the room. Almost at the same moment, Carter came up the stairs from the control room. She, too, had acquired a sidearm.

"Are you guys really expecting trouble?" Daniel asked.

"There's no way to know," Sam pointed out. "We have no idea why the Asgaard took the general."

"No, but the Asgaard are our absolute best allies," Daniel insisted. "They've never done us any harm."

"Still, it is better to be prepared, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c had moved to stand at relaxed alert near the door to O'Neill's office - a vantage point that gave him a full view of both rooms. "Major Keller reported that all corridors and levels are under guard and no one will be allowed in or out of the base until further orders." This last was addressed to Carter.

"Good," she said. "There's been no communication or gate activity in the past two hours. I've ordered that any incoming wormholes be denied."

Daniel frowned. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Thor usually appears here at the SGC if he has something to discuss," Carter reminded him.

"Yeah, but he's done this before…taken Jack, I mean."

"And that occasion turned out to be a serious threat," Teal'c reminded.

"OK. Maybe we _should_ be a little jumpy. Should I go get my gun?"

"There are only five armed individuals in this room at this time, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c deadpanned. "One more could perhaps tip the balance in our favor."

Daniel turned to Teal'c in surprise. "You're teasing me, right?" He glanced at Sam who was biting her lower lip. "He's teasing me, isn't he?" Sam raised her eyebrows and shrugged. Teal'c's expression remained impassive. "Geez," Daniel muttered.

Sam relented. "Look, Daniel, what I expect to happen is that General O'Neill will be returned just as abruptly as he left – and then we'll find out what this is all about."

And the flash came at that very moment. For a few seconds it brightened the room almost unbearably. When the light faded there were _two_ additional people standing in the conference room.

Sam and Teal'c, as well as the guards, sprang to instant alert, leveling their weapons at Jack O'Neill - and Jack O'Neill.

There were shocked expressions all around.

Daniel was first to recover - gazing from Jack to his younger self, and voicing a heartfelt "Uh-oh!"

General O'Neill looked around at the various guns pointed in his direction and slowly raised his hands. "OK, gang. Take it easy. Everybody just stand down."

His doppelganger stood still, hands in sight.

Carter straightened and lowered her weapon - but not completely. "Sir, are you all right?"

"Just fine, Carter. Now everybody put away the hardware. No trouble here."

Daniel was on his feet, eyeing the younger O'Neill. "Jack?"

"Actually, I don't call myself that." Jay replied. "I changed it to John Roger O'Neill. Usually go by Jay. Nice to see you again, Daniel." He smiled, shifting his gaze to Sam, then Teal'c. "Great to see you all."

Teal'c, perhaps slightly less imperturbable than usual, inclined his head in greeting. "It is good to see you also – Jay O'Neill."

"Sam, you look super." Jay's brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "For an older woman."

Carter was speechless, her mouth hanging open.

"Watch it, Lieutenant," Jack warned. "She _waaay_ outranks you now."

"Yessir." Jay straightened. "Sorry, Colonel," he said to Sam.

"Wait a minute," Daniel cut in. "Two years ago you were a 15-year-old kid. Now you look about 25. What happened?"

"I've been aging faster than normal. Over nine and a half years in the past twenty-three months, according to the Asgaard."

"And that's why Thor yanked us both up to his ship," Jack cut in. "Listen – why don't we all relax? Call off the base alert. Then we'll sit down and explain." He grinned at his team, happy as a clam to have some excitement to deal with. "On second thought, I'm starving. How about we meet in the cafeteria in fifteen minutes?" With that he turned and strode into his office, Jay in tow, and shut the door firmly behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

****From djenie: Just to repeat, I don't know anything about flight training school, don't know if there is one at Eglin. Just winging it here (sorry for the pun.)

**Flight Training Headquarters, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida**

Major Donald "Bear" Nash sat waiting in the outer office of the base Flight School Commander. He was leaning forward in his chair, elbows on knees, head resting in his hands, staring at the floor. Despite a raging headache, Nash resisted closing his eyes. Every time he did, that explosive brightness flared behind the lids, followed by the image of O'Neill's plane in its deadly dive toward the waters of the Gulf. Bear shuddered at the memory. He did not understand what has happened. There had been no signs of trouble. O'Neill had not reported any malfunction through the entire flight. The plane, and its pilot, had performed perfectly. And yet…

"Major Nash." An airman, the Colonel's aide, spoke from his desk as he replaced his phone in its cradle. "Sir, Colonel McNamara will see you now."

Nash straightened and got to his feet. He nodded to the airman and crossed slowly to the inner door.

Inside, he started to come to attention, but Colonel McNamara waved that away. "Sit down, Bear." James McNamara watched the younger man drop heavily into the chair facing him. "Did you check in at the infirmary?"

"No, sir. I just landed a few minutes ago, and came right here." Nash rubbed the back of his neck. "As soon as my plane's refueled, I'm going back out to help with the search."

McNamara shook his head. "Not a good idea. Oh, I know how you feel," he cut in as Nash started to object. "There are search choppers and Coast Guard boats headed out there now. They can handle it. I want you to have the doctors look you over."

"I'm fine, Mack…"

"That's an order, Major," the Colonel snapped. Then in a kinder tone, "You look like your head's about to explode, Bear."

Nash sighed. "Mack, I just don't understand what went wrong."

"Tell me," McNamara urged.

"We'd just finished a tricky maneuver," Bear said. "It was perfect. O'Neill's the best pilot I've seen in years, Mack. Really talented. He was grinning at me through the canopy. Then suddenly there was this huge flash of light."

"The cockpit exploded?" McNamara asked.

"Yes…" Nash paused, frowned. "No, not exactly. The flash was blinding…" He was clearly picturing it in his head. "Then the plane veered away into a dive – but I think the cockpit was intact. There was no debris. But how could that be…?" He hadn't realized it until now, and he stopped talking, going over the image again in his mind. O'Neill's plane, diving away to portside. Undamaged.

"Go on."

Nash raised his eyes to the Colonel's. "The plane wasn't damaged. There was the flash… and then it just went into a dive."

"Did he eject? Did you see the canopy fly?"

Bear shook his head. "No. A few hundred feet down he went into a cloud bank. I couldn't see him. I followed him in – it wasn't very deep. It took a couple of seconds to relocate him when I came out of the clouds. By then he was too far away to tell if the canopy was blown. The plane hit the water." Nash's shoulders slumped. "I didn't see a 'chute."

After Bear Nash had left his office on his way to the infirmary, McNamara turned to his computer and logged into the personnel files. Calls to next-of-kin were any CO's greatest dread, and fortunately he seldom had to make those calls, since flight training did not often involve casualties. He brought up Lieutenant O'Neill's file, searched for the personal information section. His eyebrows rose when he read the name he found there.


	6. Chapter 6

**SGC Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain**

Carter, Teal'c and Daniel were in the cafeteria several minutes before Jack sauntered in alone. He saluted them and headed for the food line. The three of them exchanged glances.

"Jay O'Neill is not with him," Teal'c observed, with uncharacteristic curiosity.

Carter rose. "Well, let's go get some food."

"I have eaten my mid-day meal, Colonel Carter," Teal'c stated.

"Yeah, but we can start asking questions while we're in line." Daniel went after Sam.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c, and also got to his feet.

Carter was behind O'Neill, having cut in front of an airman, who, though somewhat startled, had stepped aside with a smile.

"Where is he?" she hissed to Jack.

"Who?" He glanced around innocently. He waved at Daniel and Teal'c who hadn't had such good luck cutting the line.

"You know who I mean!"

"Ah. You're referring to the lieutenant, I suppose. He's visiting the men's room, I believe."

"Are you going to tell us what happened? Sir?" she pleaded.

"Carter, you know I talk better when I'm sitting down. Could I have a double portion of that great looking pot roast, please?" O'Neill added to the airman on the serving line.

"How did the Asgaard fix Jay's accelerated growth?"

"The scalloped potatoes, too," he continued his lunch order. "And the corn, and some of that coleslaw."

"Did you speak to Thor, sir?"

"And the cheesecake. And also a piece of that red velvet cake. After the day I've had, I think I deserve two desserts. Don't you think so, Carter?"

Sam shot O'Neill a very irritated look.

"Aren't you going to eat anything, Carter?" he asked innocently.

"No, sir, I'm really not hungry." Sam turned away and returned to the table. When Daniel and Teal'c joined her a moment later, both were suppressing smiles. "Not a word!" she warned.

When Jack sat down he was carrying a well-provisioned tray. He glanced around at the three of them, picked up his fork and dove into the cheesecake. They sat in silence and watched him eat.

"Shouldn't someone find… uh… Lt. O'Neill?" Daniel finally asked.

"He knows where we are," Jack said around a mouthful of scalloped potatoes. "I doubt if he's forgotten his way around here."

"Sir," Carter put in, "he… well, he doesn't have security clearance."

"He's me, Carter."

"Yes, but technically, he's not. Or not exactly. Sir." She frowned.

"She's right," Jay said, causing them to startle and turn to look up at him as he pulled over a chair and sat down beside Teal'c. "I'm really _not_ you any more, Jack."

"Well, in that case, maybe you'd better start calling me_ 'Sir'_, _Lieutenant._" A muted chuckle ran around the table. O'Neill waved his fork at the younger man. "Go get yourself some chow, Junior. The menu has improved since I've been in charge."

With a grin, Jay got up and made for the food line.

"So, I have another question, Sir," Carter began after Jay had returned with a tray piled as high as the General's.

"And what's that, Carter?" O'Neill asked.

"Actually it's more for the lieutenant, Sir."

Jay looked up at her. "What would you like to know, Colonel?"

"Well, Sir…"

"Whoa, Colonel," Jay interrupted. "I'm the one who needs to be sir-ing you. Ma'am-ing, that is…"

O'Neill laughed. "How's that gonna feel, Carter?"

"Not sure, Sir… Ah… Can I just ask my question?"

He waved her to go ahead, still smiling.

"Well, Lieutenant," she said turning from him to Jay. "It's only been two years since you were fifteen. How did you manage to get through high school, college, officer training and into flight school in such a short time?"

Jay glanced over at Jack and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. Jack shrugged, spreading his hands in a "go ahead" gesture.

"Generals in high places, Colonel," Jay said to Sam.

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c all turned to look at O'Neill.

"Not me," he denied.

"General Hammond," Jay explained. "He sort of had a couple of diplomas made up for me. And a civilian pilot's license, so I could go directly into flight school. And an ROTC certificate. And a really great recommendation or three…"

Daniel was laughing, and there was even a smile on Teal'c's face. After a moment, Sam joined in.

"So basically, the Air Force had to create an identity for me, and while they were at it, they gave me all the necessary credentials to go along with it. Of course, I think it was a little awkward for General Hammond when I kept calling him every couple of months and telling him I was a year older. But he always came through for me."

"George is a good man," Jack said. He was looking at Jay as he spoke and saw the younger man's face change suddenly. "What's wrong?"

"General Hammond," Jay said. "He's listed in my file as the person to notify in an emergency. I'd better give him a call."

"Yes," the general agreed. "That's a good idea. We can do that from my office." He took a forkful of red velvet cake. "After we've finished lunch."


	7. Chapter 7

From djenie: Mountain and Eastern Time are two hours apart. I had to look it up, so I thought it might be worth mentioning.

**Stargate Command Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain**

**3:00 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time (1500 military time) **

"Here's the thing," Jack explained. "The Asgaard sent Junior here to the SGC with me because they couldn't send him back to the place where they picked him up."

They were back in the conference room, seated around the big table. After Jack had eaten his fill in the cafeteria, Jay had placed a call to General Hammond, who had been out of his office for a meeting. Jay had left a message asking that the General call back when he returned. He'd given the SGC code and stressed that it was important, hoping that would get Hammond's attention.

Then the question of why Jay was at the SGC had come up.

"Why couldn't Thor send you back?" Daniel asked. "Where were you?"

"Flying a fighter jet, four miles above the Gulf of Mexico," Jay replied. "I was on a training flight. With an instructor as my wingman."

"Oh." Daniel blinked. "That means the plane…"

"Must have crashed," Teal'c added.

"And there was a witness," Carter said, "who no doubt thinks you were in it."

Jack and Jay both nodded.

"That _is_ a problem," Daniel conceded.

There was silence around the table as they glanced at one another.

"Who witnessed your plane going down, Jay O'Neill?" Teal'c asked at length.

"Major Donald Nash. He's Chief Flight Instructor for Eglin Air Force Base flight school."

"Good teacher?" Daniel asked.

"Great," Jay confirmed. "And a top pilot. He flew missions in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003. I've been assigned with him for the past 6 weeks."

"And you're sure he actually saw your plane go down?" Carter asked.

"He had to. Just before I was beamed out we were side by side. I was looking over at him when Thor yanked me. He probably thinks the flash was an explosion."

Jack looked at his watch. "It's 1505 now. It's been nearly three and a half hours. They've got rescue choppers on the scene by now."

"The plane would have broken up when it hit the water," Carter said. "There might be floating debris after this length of time, but not likely. How far were you from the base?"

"Approximately one hundred twenty-five miles."

"Deep water?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Jay replied. "There are places in that area where the water is five thousand feet or more."

Just then Sergeant Harriman appeared at the top of the stairs. "Excuse me, sirs. General Hammond is on the phone."

**Homeworld Security Headquarters, the Pentagon. **

**5:05 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (1705 military time)**

Major Ellen Cole looked up from her desk as the office door opened and her boss walked into the room. She stood. "Sir."

General George Hammond waved her back to her seat and removed his hat, hanging it on the rack near the door. "Major. Sorry I'm so late. You didn't have to stay."

"Not a problem, sir," she said. "You had some calls."

"Anything that can't wait until tomorrow."

"Well, yes, sir. Two of them." She glanced at the notes on her desk. "The first one was a Colonel McNamara, at Eglin. He said it's very important that he speak to you concerning Lieutenant John O'Neill. And then oddly enough, Lieutenant O'Neill himself called and said it's _extremely_ important that he speak to you ASAP."

"Really?" Hammond said, wondering what kind of trouble Jay might have gotten himself into.

"Yes, sir. In fact, he said something strange."

"Oh?"

"He said to be sure to call him _before_ you speak to anyone from Eglin."

Hammond's brows knitted together. "All right. Can you get him on the line for me, please, Major."

He went into his inner office, and took off his jacket, stretching his shoulders a little. The meeting had lasted much longer than planned – and longer than necessary as far as he could see. He moved around to get rid of the kinks from sitting for three hours. Within a few minutes Major Cole signaled that his call was ready. He picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Jay."

"Hello, General." Young O'Neill's voice came over the line. "Thanks for calling me back."

"Well, it sounded important, son. What's going on?"

"Just a second, sir. I'm going to put you on speaker."

Hammond heard the click as the call was switched, and another familiar – and very similar – voice said, "Hello, George."

"Jack? What…?"

"Junior is here at the SGC, General," Jack continued. "We've had a very interesting afternoon."

Hammond listened carefully for several minutes as the O'Neills related the events of the past few hours.

"I didn't want you to hear from the Air Force that my plane was down," Jay finished. "Not before I warned you."

"Thank you," Hammond said. "I feel much better about _this_ news. And in fact, the next call I have to make is to Eglin. Colonel McNamara left a message for me. By the way, son, is that James McNamara? Big, barrel-chested, redhead, about 50 or so? Southerner, from Georgia?"

"That sounds like him, sir," Jay said. "Do you know him?"

"I believe I do. It may help work out this problem."

"How's that, George?" Jack asked.

"I'm not sure yet. But it always helps to be dealing with people you know. Tell me about the Asgaard. Did their adjustment to your DNA work, Jay?"

"They think so, sir. Unfortunately, the only way to be certain is to wait and see."

"They didn't have a test they could run?"

"The scientist, Alvis, said the change will take effect gradually. Over the next few weeks," Jack said. "After a month or so a standard metabolism screen should tell the story. Of course, I don't know how that works."

"It takes a comparison between a test done now and one a month from now," Jay put in. "But I'm confident that the procedure worked, sir."

"I certainly hope so."

"So we've still got the problem of how to return Junior here, alive, in a such way that the Air Force will believe it," Jack ventured.

"Maybe I have an idea about that," General Hammond said. "But first I need to return Colonel McNamara's call. It's good to hear from both of you. We'll talk later."


	8. Chapter 8

**SGC Headquarters, 3:30 P.M. **

"UNSCHEDULED OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION!"

Sergeant Harriman's announcement echoed through the SGC, and at the same time the noise and vibration of the oscillating Stargate filled the rooms. General O'Neill headed for the stairs, followed closely by Carter.

Jay rose from his place at the conference table and went to the observation window overlooking the gate room. Daniel and Teal'c joined him.

The gate finished its spin and the whoosh of the establishing wormhole brightened the gate room. As the event horizon stabilized, the iris slid into place.

"It's SG-9 on P4X-998," Harriman informed O'Neill. "Colonel Barnhart is on the video feed."

Jack turned to the vid screen, where his gaze was met by Rick Barnhart's dark eyes.

"Colonel," Jack said. "What's happening?"

"Well, sir, we have a kind of interesting situation here."

"Oh?"

"Yes, sir. We've just met some of the local inhabitants."

"I thought your earlier report said there weren't any people or settlements nearby."

"Yes, sir. That's true." Barnhart nodded. "There's nothing near the gate. We explored for several klicks around and didn't find anything. Not even any traveled paths."

"But…" O'Neill prodded.

"Well, it's morning here, sir. We camped in the clearing near the gate. Got up about an hour ago. We were eating when these people walked out of the woods and greeted us like long-lost buddies."

"Really?" O'Neill glanced at Carter. "Maybe they think you're gods coming through the Chappa'ai?"

"Uh, no, sir. More like…neighbors. They brought us fruit and bread and flowers."

"Interplanetary welcome wagon," Carter commented.

"They seemed very happy to see us," Barnhart went on. "They say their town's about three hours' travel from here and have invited us to come and visit. They're very talkative, too."

There was movement behind Barnhart, and another face appeared over his shoulder. The colonel drew a little aside. "This is Jhozek."

The second face was young, smiling, dark-skinned and handsome. His long black hair was tied back. A tattoo adorned the right side of his face from forehead to jaw.

"Call Daniel down here," O'Neill said aside to Carter.

"Jhozek," Barnhart continued, "this is our commander, General O'Neill."

"Hello, Jhozek," O'Neill said.

The young man laughed and put his hand out toward the camera, briefly obscuring the image. "How are you fitting in the little box? Are you so small?"

"It's just a picture," Barnhart explained. "General O'Neill is far away. This…box…is the way we can talk to each other over long distances."

"Can you see me, Generaloneill?" Jhozek asked.

"Yes, I can," Jack answered. "How are you, Jhozek?"

"I am well. Can you come out of the box, Generaloneill? We would like to show you our city."

"He would have to come through the Stargate, like my team did," Barnhart told him. "The chappa'ai?" he tried, when Jhozek looked puzzled. Still no response. "The big stone ring," he said, pointing.

"Ah!" Jhozek grinned in understanding. "Bisyan stekai."

"Yeah, sure – what you said." Jack looked around at Daniel who had eased in beside him.

"Um…sounds kind of like Greek, I think," Daniel commented.

"Exactly," Jack muttered.

"No, really. A variation of Greek," Daniel said. "'Standing' something. Maybe 'pool.' Or something like that."

"Okay. Standing pool. I'll go for that," Jack said.

"You must come here to visit, Generaloneill," Jhozek was saying cheerfully. "We want to welcome you. My father is head man of our town. He will want to meet you. My father's name is Marlek. He is a very important man." He began introducing other members of his group who had crowded in behind him. "This is Tiera, and Ronar, and that is Lorn…"

"Thank you, Jhozek," Jack raised his voice, trying to interrupt. "Very nice to meet you all. Let me speak to Colonel Barnhart again…"

"You must come today," Jhozek went on. "Our festival is today and tomorrow…"

After a bit of a tussle, Barnhart managed to get back on the screen. "Sorry, sir. They're very…uh…enthusiastic."

"I can see that," Jack said dryly. "What do you think, Colonel?"

"They're almost children, sir. Most of them are younger than Jhozek even. There are about eighteen or twenty of them. Boys and girls."

"Any weapons?"

"No, sir. Just flowers." Barnhart grinned. "Also, they mentioned that there are some ruins of a walled city near their town, sir. With statues and wall paintings."

Jack felt Daniel come to attention. "Would they take us there?" Daniel asked.

"I think they'll take you just about anywhere you want to go, Dr. Jackson."

"All right, Colonel," Jack said. "I'll consider their invitation. I'll get back to you in half an hour."

"Yes, sir."

O'Neill signaled Harriman to disengage the wormhole.

"Daniel?" he questioned.

"There could be valuable information in those ruins. I wouldn't mind getting a look at them. And it never hurts to be on friendly terms with the natives."

"Huh. Don't see how they could get much friendlier." Jack turned and headed for the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

**JAY**

He stood at the observation window and watched the gate cycle through the constellations and open up the wormhole. He felt a sharp stab of homesickness. How many times had he gone through the gate in the six years before his life changed? And how he had loved it! He missed the adventure, the closeness with his teammates, crap, he even missed the battles – nasty as some of them had been!

At first, after he was forced to leave Stargate Command, Young Jonathan O'Neill had thought he could take care of himself; but he quickly found that it was a distinct disadvantage to look fifteen, when in your head you're 50! Thank goodness he's had General Hammond. From the start, Hammond had taken it on himself to see to his welfare. He'd had himself appointed the boy's guardian. _That_ was a shock – but without an adult's signature, he couldn't do much of anything. Couldn't rent an apartment, or sign up for high school classes, or participate in any extracurricular activities. And of course he couldn't drive or own a car. He had to be careful – if the school found out he lived alone, they would have called Child Protective Services, and then the crap would really hit the fan. It was all very frustrating.

That teen-age body was a wonder, though! God! He could stay up all night and hardly feel it the next day. He could run _forever_ – with not even a twinge of pain in knees or hips or back. He could eat anything he wanted – no problems with heartburn or [tee-hee] irregularity! School was a snap. Maybe it was those years listening to Carter and Daniel, but everything came so easy! He wondered why he'd spent all his life pretending to be dumb. He wasn't dumb. In September that first year back in high school everyone had to take an IQ test. His score was 136. Nowhere near Carter, of course, but quite respectable. Probably the numbers were a bit skewed because of his years of life experience, but still…

He breezed through his classes, taking all the science and math available – things he's shied away from the first time.

He played soccer on the junior varsity that fall. The coach said he was a natural athlete, and should try out for the varsity team next year. In his first life there hadn't been time for athletics; after school he had to go straight to his job – no time to practice.

Girls smiled at him, and he smiled back, and they seemed to think he was cute. One pretty redhead named Marissa lived only a short distance from his apartment, and sometimes they walked to school together.

Boys his age were wary at first, of the new guy, but became friendlier after a few weeks. The ones on his soccer team seemed to really like him.

His days were busy, and fun.

But at night he would lay in bed, alone in the apartment that the Air Force had arranged for him, and remember that he had had another life – a life with family, friends, adventure, and most of all, _purpose_. It seemed so absurd, such a waste, to be doing this all over again. He thought about the Stargate, all the places he had visited, the people he had met, the bad guys that he and his team had trounced! Not to put too much pride into it – but they had literally been saving the world! How much more purpose could you get than that!

Sometimes he thought about Charlie and Sarah, and when that made him too sad, he would force himself instead to remember his other family – his SG-1 family. He missed them. He missed Teal'c's loyalty and strength, and Daniel's enthusiasm and generous heart, and Sam – hell, he missed everything about Sam, her big blue eyes, her brains, her courage, her big blue eyes…

He wondered if they ever missed _him_…

But of course they didn't! They never thought of _him!_ They had the other Jack, the original Jack, the _real Jack!_

And he began to realize that he was Jack no longer. That's when he knew that he had to find out who _he_ was. He called General Hammond and arranged to have his name changed. No more Jonathan, he became John Roger. He asked everyone at school to call him Jay. Gradually he started to feel like his own person. Jay was the soccer player, the best student in Mr. Winston's physics class, the cute guy that Marissa walked to school with…

Was it all an act? Maybe. But it was starting to feel real. That was all that mattered.

Then one morning, the day after Christmas vacation, he got up to dress for school and discovered that the shoes he hadn't worn for ten days didn't fit his feet. And his good jeans were short and a little tight. In the bathroom mirror, he saw a face that had changed, widened a bit at the jaw and grown a heavier beard. A face that had gotten noticeably older in just a couple of weeks.

Within a month, he'd had to change schools, and then in April, he'd moved to another state altogether. By summertime his appearance was that of a twenty-year-old.

General Hammond came to his rescue with ID papers, diplomas from high school and college, references and recommendations and certifications and licenses. Wow – did the Air Force keep a battalion of forgers on staff? In June, Jay entered the Air Force's Officer Training School. Now, thirteen months later, with a 2nd Lieutenant's gold bar on his uniform, he was within weeks of finishing his pilot's training. Again.

Déjà vu all over again.

In the gate room below, the wormhole disengaged.


	10. Chapter 10

**Office of Colonel James McNamara, Eglin AFB, 4:50 P.M. Central Daylight Time**

"Come in, Bear." McNamara looked up from his desk as Nash entered. "And close the door."

"Mack?" Nash questioned. "You sent for me?"

"I did. Come and have a seat."

"Have you got some word from search and rescue?"

"Not exactly. Sit down, Major."

Nash did as he was instructed, taking the chair directly across the desk from McNamara. McNamara picked up a folder from his desk and extended it toward Nash.

"What's this, sir?" Bear took the folder and opened it. Inside were two sheets of typewritten paper. He looked at the top one, then up at McNamara. "You're ordering me to fly to Peterson Air Force Base? Colorado? What's going on, sir?"

"That will be explained to you when you get there, Major."

"Sir, while O'Neill is missing, I was hoping to stay close…"

"You'll only be a phone call away, Bear," McNamara interrupted. "I will personally let you know if there is anything to report."

"But…"

"This is an order, Major, from the Pentagon."

Nash straightened, confusion written across his face. "Yes, sir."

**Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mt, 3:50 P.M., MDT**

"It turns out that I do know Colonel McNamara," General Hammond was on the phone again to the SGC, where Jack, Jay, and the other members of SG-1 were gathered around the speaker on the conference table. "In fact, you may have met him, Jack. He was a major, then, and he was serving there, at the SGC, when you came back on board. He was reassigned about six weeks after you arrived."

"I'm afraid the name doesn't ring a bell, George," Jack replied. "But we were pretty busy those first few weeks, and there were a lot of personnel coming and going."

"That's okay," Hammond went on. "The point is, he knows about the stargate."

"Sweet!" Jack said. A pause. "How does that help us?"

"Mack and I talked it over, and we think the best thing to do is to read Major Nash in on the Stargate Program. That way, he can work with you folks to come up with a plan."

"_With us_, George?'

"Yep. Nash will be flying into Peterson in just about three and a half hours. Arrange to have someone meet him and bring him to the mountain."

"_We're_ supposed to read him in, then?" Jack asked.

"Would make sense, wouldn't it," Hammond said. "You can give him the whole tour. He can see that Jay is fine. Then you can work out how to explain all this."

"Uh… Yes, sir," Jack said after a moment.

Hammond chuckled. "What? Did you think I was going to fix the whole thing for you? With all the brainpower sitting in that room with you right now? Put your team to work on this. You've had much tougher problems."

"It's not that, George." Jack ignored Daniel's stifled laugh and the amusement in Carter's eyes. "It's just pretty unusual to bring someone in here without preparation. Does Nash have the necessary clearances?"

"On Colonel McNamara's recommendation, I'm authorizing those. In addition, of course, you'll have him sign the standard non-disclosure forms when he arrives…" A pause as Hammond evidently checked the time. "Which should be just about 1930 hours, your time. Are we all clear?"

"Yes, absolutely. All clear. Sir."

"Good. Because it's late here, and I'm ready to go home," Hammond stated. "By the way, Jack, I handed in my resignation as head of Homeworld Security to the President today. Recommended you to take my place. President Hayes thinks it's a great idea. Good night." With that, he hung up, no doubt chuckling at the reactions to the bomb he had just dropped.

SGCSGCSGCSGCSGCSC

"Stop talking!" Jack threw his hands in the air. "Everybody be quiet! Carter—not another word!"

"But, Jack…"

"Not you either, Daniel! I'm not talking about this right now! Hammond didn't say a thing! It didn't happen!"

"O'Neill…"

"Teal'c, I swear…" Jack gave him a glare and the pointing finger

The Jaffa subsided.

"This is not on my agenda!" Jack stood up. "Right now there is a nice little planet with some nice little people who can't wait to meet me, and that's where I'm going. For a nice long visit! Daniel, you can come along—but do not, DO NOT, mention the P word!" With that he stalked into his office and slammed the door.

The others looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"P word?" Daniel questioned when he could speak.

"I'm guessing Pentagon," Carter snorted.

"Or maybe Promotion," Jay put in.

They all dissolved into laughter again. It went on for a few moments, then slowly stopped as they all took in what had just happened.

"He's going to be head of Homeworld Security," Daniel said softly.

"In Washington," Sam added, almost to herself.

Teal'c drew himself up, and looked toward O'Neill's office.

Jay watched them. In Daniel's expression he saw genuine pleasure for his friend; in Teal'c's, deep respect. Carter looked – devastated; there was no other word for it. Then she caught Jay's eye on her and quickly got her features under control.


	11. Chapter 11

**Jay**

"Are you and Daniel going alone?" Jay had walked into Jack's office without knocking and sat down in the guest chair. Jack had been sitting with his forehead resting on his palms, and now looked up in annoyance.

"Did I invite you in?" he demanded.

"Just think of me as the little voice of caution sitting on your shoulder," Jay said. "Are you going to take a team with you?"

"Did you hear him!? They're gonna make me into a desk jockey!"

"I heard him. And if anyone knows how much you hate that idea, it's me. Now, are you going to take a team with you to that ridiculous planet?"

"SG-9 is already there."

"You should have more backup."

"Barnhart said there's no threat."

"Something's twitching in the back of my head. I don't like it. If you stop and think, you'll feel it, too."

"Spidey senses?" Jack sneered.

"I figured you'd say that. Just think about it." Jay got up and started toward the door. With his hand on the knob he paused and turned back. "There's an upside to being sent to Washington, you know."

"And what would that be?"

"You won't be her commanding officer any more."

Jack came to his feet. "What the hell does that mean?"

_"Remember me?_ I know everything you ever thought or felt until two years ago. And I doubt if those particular feelings have changed since then."

"That's none of your business!"

"_Oh please!_ You're the one who says I _am_ you!" Jay opened the door.

"Get out!"

"Going!" Jay shut the door firmly behind him.

Jack stared after him, feeling exactly as if he'd just had an argument with his bathroom mirror.

Jay walked over to the conference table where the rest of the team were staring at him, and paused beside Daniel. "Make him take backup to that planet."

"Why?"

"Just a feeling. I'm going to the cafeteria." He walked away.

It was ten minutes before O'Neill emerged from his office. By then he had himself under control. He glanced around the group, raised an eyebrow.

"He went to the cafeteria," Daniel said.

Jack nodded. "Okay, Daniel. Get your gear together. We'll leave for 998 in fifteen. That'll give us a couple of hours to meet the natives, and still be back here before Major Nash arrives. Carter, you're in charge of the base while I'm gone. Make arrangements to have Nash picked up. If I'm not back yet, meet him upstairs and have him sign the papers. You know the drill."

"Yes, sir," she acknowledged.

"What about seeing the ruins on the planet?" Daniel asked.

"Well, that might just have to wait a day or so. General Hammond's plan sort of cuts our time short."

Daniel decided not to push the issue. However… "Jay seemed to think we should take some extra men with us."

"Oh, he said that, did he?" Jack glared for a moment, then subsided. "Walter!" he called out. Harriman's head appeared in the stairway within seconds. "Which teams are on stand-by?"

"Two, three and eleven, sir."

"Eleven is coming with us. Tell Markus to have them in the gateroom in 10 minutes."

"Yes, sir." Harriman disappeared.

"Daniel. Ten minutes." Jack exited into his office.

Daniel, Carter and Teal'c exchanged looks.

"I wonder what they were arguing about," Daniel said.

"I don't know," Carter responded. "But neither one of them looked happy. You'd better get ready."

"Yep." Daniel turned and headed down to the locker room.

Standing at the observation window ten minutes later, Jay watched as Jack, Daniel and SG-11 assembled in the gate room below. Carter and Teal'c were there also, and Jack was talking to Sam, no doubt leaving instructions. Teal'c spoke to Jack briefly and Jack shook his head. Jay watched the gate revolve through the dialing sequence. The wormhole formed, and the six of them walked through the event horizon. The wormhole evaporated. Sam and Teal'c stood talking for a minute, then walked out of the gateroom.

Jay could hear computer sounds, and occasionally a voice, coming up the stairs from the control room below. He debated about what he should do now. He had not been invited into the control room, and knew that his technical lack of clearance could be a problem. He also did not want to wander around the corridors – that could be awkward. He couldn't go into the General's office without Jack there. Jack had given him a guest access card when he first arrived, so he could use the elevator and get food in the cafeteria, but that was pretty much the limit of what he could do.

Finally, he walked over to the conference table and took a seat. He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. In the SGC, the place where he had been most at home for so many years, he now felt totally alien.


	12. Chapter 12

**Warning; **I'm rating this chapter** M** for descriptions of violence and coarse language.

**P4X-998**

**Jack**

The first thing he felt was pain. His head threatened to explode with it. He tried to move and then wished he hadn't for the few seconds before he lost consciousness.

When he became aware again, the pain was still there, maybe slightly diminished. Sunlight was hot and bright on his eyelids. He tried to open his eyes and couldn't because of the glare. The skin of his face felt burnt. _What…?_ His thoughts would not form the rest. _Where…? _

Nausea welled up, jerking his mind away from the questions. He tried to breathe deeply, but it turned into a gasp. His heart slammed double-time against his ribs and every beat echoed the agony throughout his body.

"Daniel!" The third time he woke, he whispered his friend's name. He thought he shouted. "Daniel," he said again, softly. A picture formed in his mind. Daniel being hit by the blast of a staff weapon…his body thrown back…hanging in the air…rotating in slow motion…arms and legs flung outward…blood spraying…falling endlessly toward the ground… Hit by the blast…blood…falling endlessly… In his memory Jack heard his own voice screaming Daniel's name an instant before pain and darkness annihilated him, too.

Remembering caused him to groan with a different kind of pain. He lay still for a long time.

The light was changing. He could open his eyes now, and he did so, carefully. He was lying on the ground, on his side, his cheek pressed against grass. An arm's length away was another face, sightless dark eyes staring into death. He recoiled instinctively, then stared. Rick Barnhart. Blood in his hair and on his forehead, and dried around his open mouth. Staff wound on his neck, shoulder and chest. Burnt flesh, starting to dry.

_Crap! Rick was a good man! Shit!_ Jack squeezed his eyes shut and felt dampness on the lashes. _Shit! Shit! Shit! Where are the rest of them!?_

He tried to lift his head to look around. His hands were tied behind him, and the movement sent pain knifing through his neck and shoulder. He fell back, but not before he saw another body in SGC battle gear beyond Barnhart. Blond hair, very short. Face turned away. Either Harv Willis or Will Reiner; the only blonds. Both from SG-11.

_Shit! It was a trap! Mini-Me was right! I shoulda brought a whole frickin' battalion! My own fault. If I hadn't been so pissed off over the f-king promotion… Shoulda been more careful! I wasn't even seriously thinking of coming to this place 'til Hammond made his grand announcement! No excuse…my fault, my fault! At least two dead…how many more?! Where the f-k is Daniel!_

Rage and fear gave him strength, and he heaved himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the pain that clutched at him.

_A clearing in evergreen woods. Sunshine. A group of natives—and JAFFA a little ways off! What the hell are JAFFA doing here? Whose are they?_ _ And four more bodies…four more! Ted Markus. Leo Anderson. Faces of the others turned away… Not Daniel. Here was not where Daniel went down. _

A shout from the group; they had seen him. And then they were running toward him. The young man Jhozek reached him first—his features now twisted into sneering, harsh lines, the tattoo stark against his skin. He raised the zat in his hand, aimed it at Jack's head.


	13. Chapter 13

**P4X-998**

**Jack**

"_Hasshak! Hal mek! _Fool! Hold your fire!"

The command was accompanied by the business end of a staff weapon, thrust none too gently into Jhozek's face.

"My Mistress wants the Tau'ri O'Neill alive!"

Jhozek looked around at the half dozen weapons now aimed at him. Quickly he neutralized the zat. "I was just making sure he didn't get away."

"He will not escape. Go back to your friends!" The Jaffa leader indicated the group on the edge of the clearing. The young men and women who had greeted the SC teams with such enthusiasm were sitting on the ground, surrounded by armed Jaffa. "I will take your weapon now," the leader continued, holding out a hand.

Jhozek opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of the idea as the circle of weapons around him moved closer. He handed over the zat. "We got him here for you! We want our bounty!"

"If you want your payment you will wait quietly until my Mistress arrives." The Jaffa commander raised an eyebrow. "Or I can simply eliminate you all now. It makes no difference to me. We have O'Neill. You are no longer necessary."

Jhozek's features contorted in anger. "We have a bargain with your Mistress!"

"She is not here. And I am tired of you. Join your friends and be silent!"

With a long furious glare at the commander, Jhozek turned and headed across the clearing, accompanied by several warriors.

The commander looked down at O'Neill, who had slumped back down onto the ground.

"Don't expect any thanks from me," Jack grated.

"I expect nothing from you, Tau'ri." He turned on his heel and started away.

"Hey!" Jack called. "Who's paying a bounty to get their hands on me?"

The commander paused and glanced back. "My Mistress is TeKhara, daughter of Hathor." He eyed Jack for a moment, then continued on his way.

"Oh, crap!" Jack muttered.

**Daniel**

In his hiding place in the woods Daniel silently echoed Jack's sentiment.

He was only about twenty yards from where Jack lay. He was hunkered down beneath an uprooted tree just outside the clearing, and was frankly amazed that the Jaffa had not found him.

Thanks to the new heavy-duty armored vests the SG teams were now using, the staff blast, which had grazed his side and left arm, had been largely deflected. The concussion had knocked him to the ground, stunned. When he recovered enough to move, he could hear the firefight in the distance. By the time he got there, it was over. He hid himself and watched.

He could see that Jack was tied up, which probably meant that he was still alive, at least. In fact most of the downed SG team members he could see were restrained. Which was hopeful—why would they tie up dead men?

Daniel lay as still as he possibly could and watched. He had waited for what seemed like a long time before Jack had stirred, and attempted to rise.

The confrontation between the Jaffa and Jhozek had answered some of Daniel's questions, but had hardly eased his mind. Jack had killed Hathor seven years earlier. If this daughter of hers, whom Daniel had never heard of, was looking for revenge, then Jack was in real trouble. Once she arrived, she might kill Jack then and there. Or take him away to god knew where.

Daniel's ribs hurt like hell and blood seeped from the burn on his arm, but he knew that what he had to do was get back to the stargate and get help.


	14. Chapter 14

**SGC Headquarters, 6:38 P.M. MDT**

"Offworld activation! Colonel Carter to the control room!"

Sam came sprinting into the room even as the echo of Harriman's announcement faded.

"What have we got, Walter?"

"It's SG-1's IDC, sir." He was already reaching to open the iris when she nodded approval. The iris cleared the event horizon.

A few moments later, Daniel stumbled through the gate, and sank to his knees on the ramp.

"Call medical! And get Teal'c to the gate room!" Sam ordered as she ran down the stairs. She reached Daniel before he could collapse completely, and held onto him. Behind him the wormhole dissipated. He was alone!

"Daniel, what happened?"

"We have to go back… Sam, it was a trap. The natives were really bounty hunters, after Jack. We were ambushed. Jaffa… captured Jack…" He was interrupted as the med team hit the ramp and edged Sam aside. Teal'c was on their heels, with Jay right behind him. "No," Daniel said, pushing the doctor's hands away. "That can wait. Sam, Teal'c… They were working with the Jaffa. Ow!" He shoved at the doctor again. "Stop that…"

The doctor reluctantly stepped back. A slim, dark haired, young woman, with exotic oriental features, she did not look at all happy about being pushed away.

"DanielJackson, let them help you," Teal'c said.

"No, there's no time!" He drew in a breath, caught at his ribs. "The Jaffa serve a Goa'uld named TeKhara. She's Hathor's daughter!" Sam, Teal'c, and Jay all reacted to this information with alarm. Nobody missed the point of what Daniel was saying.

"This TeKhara has the General?" Carter questioned.

"She's not there yet. The Jaffa… holding him. Waiting for her to arrive."

"Are they still on the planet?" Jay demanded. Daniel nodded. "How many?"

"A lot… twenty or more that I saw."

Carter turned around, yelling orders. "Sergeant, call every available team to the gate room! Full armor, heavy weapons; 203s and 224s! Get a MALP in here!"

"They're two or three klicks away from the gate…" Daniel managed. He was fading.

The doctor had had enough. "I need to take him—now!" she insisted.

Carter nodded. "Teal'c. Go with him."

"Can you get a UAV launched?" Jay asked. "If they're three klicks from the gate, we'll have to find them."

"It could warn them, too." She considered the idea.

Running feet in the corridor, and SG teams 2 and 3 entered the gateroom. Colonel Reynolds and Colonel Dixon came toward Carter with questions in their eyes.

"General O'Neill has been captured by Jaffa," she told them. "I'll do a full mission briefing when everyone is assembled."

She headed out of the gateroom, and discovered that Jay was on her heels as she hurried down the corridor toward the armory.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"Where are _you_ going, Sam?" he countered.

"To get kitted out."

He caught her arm, stopped her, and turned her to face him. "You can't go to 998, Sam."

"The hell I can't!"

"You're in command of the stargate right now."

"I'll delegate…" She paused.

"To whom?" he asked. "Who's next in line? Reynolds? Dixon? You can't leave the base under these circumstances—and you damn well know it!"

She jerked her arm away from him. "You're out of line, Lieutenant!"

Jay stepped back. "Yes, ma'am. My apologies. But you know the regs as well as I do."

His eyes wouldn't let her go. O'Neill's eyes. He _was_ right. She couldn't relinquish command with the General absent under these conditions. She swore vividly.

The elevator door across the corridor slid open and Teal'c emerged.

"Daniel?" Sam questioned.

"He has cracked ribs, much bruising and some internal injuries. Dr. Lam is treating him."

"Dr. Lam?" Jay asked.

"The new CMO. She's only been here a couple of weeks. The General requested her specifically."

"DanielJackson has given me more information," Teal'c said. "Both SG teams have been neutralized. Two members of SG-9 are down near the gate. Ferris and Jensen. Both are badly injured. The rest of the teams are wounded—or dead—in the same location where O'Neill is being held. He has given me directions to find that location."

"How many dead?"

"He is not sure. He thinks most still live. From what he could see, the Jaffa had restrained them, along with O'Neill." Teal'c paused a moment. "Colonel Barnhart is among the dead."

Sam put that aside for the moment. "We need med teams, then."

"Dr. Lam is organizing them now."

Sam turned to Teal'c. "I'm putting you in charge of the rescue. As the lieutenant here has reminded me," she said, shooting Jay a steely glance, "I can't leave the base under these conditions."

"I understand." Teal'c nodded. "Will JayO'Neill be coming with us?"

Carter gave him a startled look, then glanced at Jay. "Do you think he should?"

"He is O'Neill, after all. I believe there can be no better asset." Teal'c turned to Jay. "With apologies, Lieutenant. But we could use you."

Jay's turned to Carter.

She nodded, making an instant decision. "I'll authorize it."

SGSGSGSGSGSGSGSGSG

Fifteen minutes later there were ten SG teams and three emergency medical teams crowded in the gateroom, as well as a motorized supply trolley, an ordinance carrier, and a MALP.

Carter climbed the ramp so she could face the group. "This is a rescue mission," she informed them. "General O'Neill, SG-9 and SG-11 have been attacked and captured by Jaffa belonging to the daughter of Hathor. We believe the primary target is General O'Neill, and we're not certain what they plan to do with the rest of the men. Daniel Jackson says there are men seriously wounded—as well as at least one fatality." Heads came up at that, but there were no sounds. "Teal'c will be in command of the mission. Second to him is Colonel Reynolds, and then Colonel Dixon. We believe the area immediately around the gate is clear, but are sending the MALP through first." She raised her voice, "Sergeant Harriman, dial the gate."

Carter walked down the ramp, and out of range of the wormhole initiation. Once the wormhole was open, the MALP was remotely activated and sent through the gate.

The room waited silently while the seconds ticked off.

"The MALP has arrived, Colonel," Harriman announced. "The cameras are showing no activity in the immediate area of the gate."

"SG-2 and 3 will lead off with me," Teal'c announced. "The teams will follow in order. SG-16 and 18 will wait for the all-clear, and escort the medical teams."

Sam retreated to the control room to watch the heavily armed troop exit through the gate. It had been a little over half an hour since Daniel had returned.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author Notes**; Thank you so much to the guest 'friend' for your review! It is very much appreciated!

I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge of military tactics!

**P4X-998**

Jay followed Teal'c and SG-2 through the gate. It was hard to lag behind. Suddenly all of his soldier's instincts had kicked in, and he wanted to be in the lead. The members of SG-2 gave a brief nod as he joined them. Word had no doubt gotten around the SGC about who he was and why he was there.

As soon as they reached the planet side of the gate, they spread out, alert, MP-7's ready. The rest of the teams poured out behind them. Teal'c directed two teams to check the woods nearby. Within a few minutes the immediate area had been cleared. Once that was done, Teal'c sent word for the medical teams to come through.

With all of the teams and medical personnel through the gate, there were now more than fifty people on the planet. Colonel Victor Sharp and his team, SG-5, were sent to locate the two wounded men Daniel had said were near the gate. Major Rob Perrot and SG-6 were assigned to guard the gate.

Teal'c signaled for the COs of the remaining teams to join him. Reynolds, Dixon, Staples, Reyes, Wisneski, Ross, Herrera and Coburn all hurried over.

"DanielJackson told us that General O'Neill and the rest of SG-9 and 11 are being held three klicks northeast of the gate. He saw at least 20 Jaffa—and there are also the native bounty hunters, who no doubt will resist. The Jaffa had taken their weapons, but they would likely be returned in case of an attack."

"How do we know they're still there?" Colonel Reyes asked.

"We do not. This is the best information we have and it is more than an hour old."

"Check with the wounded men, Jensen and Ferris, when we find them," Jay suggested. "They may have seen or heard something."

"Yes," Teal'c agreed. "Do that, Lieutenant."

Jay nodded.

Teal'c went on. "We will head northeast. Colonel Dixon, Major Staples, fan your teams out to the right of our path. Colonel Wisneski and Colonel Reyes, to the left. Colonel Reynolds and Colonel Coburn will take center, with me. SG-5 will join us once Jensen and Ferris are secure with medical. Sixteen and 18 will stay with the medical teams. We will maintain radio silence, since the Jaffa have several captured radios. Questions?"

No one spoke.

Just then Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey of SG-5 joined them.

"We found Ferris and Jensen, sir. Airman Eaton is informing the med team."

Teal'c nodded. "Very good, Lieutenant. O'Neill, return with Lieutenant Hailey. See if the men have any more information."

"Yes, sir." Jay nodded to Hailey. "After you, Lieutenant."

They started off for the woods at a fast walk. One medical team was moving in the same direction.

Hailey eyed Jay. "So you're really O'Neill?'

"John R. O'Neill, at your service."

"You're the…uhh…hmmm…" Hailey, who was seldom reluctant to speak her mind, hesitated.

"Yes, I am," he said. "And yes, I remember you. You were very impressive."

"Thank you, sir."

"Not _sir_. Just lieutenant. Just like you. I'm not _him_."

She digested his words. "That must be a real bitch!"

His mouth quirked. "You have no idea. How far do we have to go?"

"Almost there."

They found Airman Ferris stretched out unconscious on the ground, bleeding slowly from a head wound, which had been roughly bound with a field bandage. Lieutenant Joe Jensen was propped up against a tree beside him. Colonel Sharp and Lieutenant Douglas were with them. The medical team arrived and Dr. Lam went immediately to attend to Ferris.

Jay squatted beside Jensen. "How're you doing, Lieutenant?"

"Better than I was," Jensen grimaced. "I'm sure glad to see you guys."

"We'll have you back at the SGC before you know it," Jay said. "Think you can answer a couple of questions?" At Jensen's nod he continued, "Have you seen anyone since Dr. Jackson was here? Any Jaffa or Goa'uld?"

"No—no one," Jensen replied. "I was surprised to see Jackson. All the shooting over there…" He waved a hand generally northeast. "And then nobody came back. I figured everybody was dead."

"We think they're being held captive. Did you hear anything after Daniel came by? A ship? The gate? Anything at all?"

Jensen shook his head. "Nothing. And I'm pretty sure I was awake the whole time."

"Thanks, Joe." Jay gripped his shoulder gently and moved aside to let the corpsman who had been looming over his shoulder get to the injured man. "I'll see you later."

He stood up and joined Hailey, who had been waiting behind him. "A ship could have approached from another direction," she pointed out.

"Always possible," he agreed. "We need to catch up with Teal'c."

"I filled in Colonel Sharp. SG-16 is here to escort these men back to the gate."

Jay and Jen joined Sharp, Lieutenant Douglas and Airman Eaton, and the five of them set off to intercept the main group, somewhere east of their position. Eaton and Douglas took point, and Jay dropped back to cover the rear. They hurried quietly through the woods.

A few hundred meters later they caught up to the other teams.

"Ferris didn't hear or see anything since Daniel was there," Jay told Teal'c.

"Then perhaps we are not too late. Colonel Reynolds and SG-3 have gone to scout ahead."

They went forward silently, keeping to cover as much as possible. They'd gone another half a klick, when Lieutenant Cruz, of SG-3, appeared.

"They're about 900 meters ahead, sir," Cruz explained, when the other team leaders had moved to join them. "There's a clearing, probably half an acre. There are two Jaffa standing guard on this side of the clearing, the rest are all on the far side. They have the bounty hunters disarmed and under guard."

"How many Jaffa?"

"We counted twenty-one, sir. There could have been others we didn't see. They don't seem at all concerned about being ambushed. Most are just sitting around."

"They don't realize that Daniel got away," Jay commented. "And they think we won't be worried about Jack yet."

"Indeed. What about O'Neill and the others?" Teal'c asked Cruz.

"They're all being held in the clearing. Colonel Barnhart is dead, sir."

Teal'c nodded.

"The rest of them are tied up. They're all there; Colonel Markus and all of SG-11; Willis, Reiner and Satterfield. And Captain Anderson. The Jaffa have General O'Neill separated from the group. He's near where the Jaffa are waiting."

"Is he conscious?" Jay asked.

"We couldn't tell. But some of the other captives are, and we think one or two of them may have seen us."

"Then they will be ready," Teal'c said.

He crouched and drew a rough diagram on the ground, representing the clearing. Cruz marked the positions of the Jaffa and the prisoners. Teal'c sketched out a plan. Dixon, Staples and Sharp would take SG-2, 10 and 5 wide around the left of the clearing. Coburn and Reyes would do the same with 13 and 15 on the right. Wisneski and SG-8 would join Reynolds and SG-3 in the woods on the near side. Teal'c would go with the right flanking teams. His objective would be to get to General O'Neill and get him clear. Jay would be with Wisneski and Reynolds; they would take out the guards, and protect the other captives. Airman Wells of SG-2 was sent back to inform SG-16 and 18 to start moving the medical teams forward; but to stay out of range until instructions could be radioed.

Timing was paramount. Without radios they could not communicate. Twenty minutes to get into position; watches were synchronized. Teal'c looked around at the team leaders. Everyone nodded.

"Go!" he said.


	16. Chapter 16

**P4X-998**

Lieutenant Gracie Satterfield glanced over toward the woods. The Jaffa guard there was not looking her way at the moment. Carefully, slowly she drew her knees up and inched her body toward Colonel Markus' back, a painful process with her hands tied behind her.

"Sir." Her voice was barely there. "SG-3, in the woods."

Markus did not reply, but the slight tensing of his shoulders told her he had heard.

Satterfield relaxed back onto her side and lay still. After a few minutes, Markus stretched as if to relieve the discomfort of his restraints, and seemed to move closer to Airman Willis, who was on his other side. Gracie imagined she heard a slight murmur. She let her eyes wander aimlessly around the clearing, past the spot where she had seen SG-3 a while ago. No one was visible now.

But they had been there. She'd seen Airman Joe Libby's face as clear as day. And then Colonel Reynolds. They'd both ducked quickly out of sight, but it was enough. It was an effort not to glue her eyes to that spot, in hopes of seeing them again.

**SGC Headquarters**

"Colonel Carter?" the voice on the phone said. "This is Major Kramm, topside, Colonel. I have a Major Nash here, says he just got in from Peterson."

Damn, she thought. Forgot all about him. She glanced at the clock. Right on time. "Thanks, Major. Have him sign in, then take him to the level 2 conference room. I'll be up shortly."

"Yes, ma'am."

Carter went to find Harriman. "I need a copy of the non-disclosure agreements, sergeant. Do you know where they are?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll get them for you." Within minutes he handed her a folder and a pen.

"Thanks, Walter. I'm going to be up on level 2, in the conference room. Call me immediately if there's any word."

As she rode the elevator, Sam considered the situation. The last word from Teal'c had been that O'Neill and the other captives had been located, and the teams were moving in. That information had come through the gate with the first injured men. Teal'c wanted to keep radio silence because of the risk of being overheard. That meant they could not dial the gate and ask for updates.

She had intended for Jay O'Neill to join her in explaining his survival and introducing Major Nash to the stargate, but now Jay was on the planet with Teal'c and the rescue teams. The last thing she wanted to do was give a long involved explanation; she needed to get back downstairs as soon as possible. She would have Nash sign the non-disclosure agreement, and then take him down and show him the stargate.

She switched elevators at level 11 to ride the rest of the way up to 2.

Major Nash got to his feet as Carter entered the conference room. He was about forty, strong and fit-looking, with black hair and brown eyes. There was tension and tiredness in his features. He saluted.

She returned the salute. "Major Nash. I'm Colonel Samantha Carter. Please sit down."

When they were seated facing each other across the conference table, he started to speak, but she interrupted. "Major, I have quite a lot to explain to you, but first you will need to sign this." She pushed the folder and pen across to him.

Frowning, he opened the folder and scanned the paper inside. "A non-disclosure oath?"

"Yes. If you please, Major. I can't say anything else until you sign that."

His eyes locked with hers for a long moment. Then he picked up the pen and signed. He closed the folder and pushed it back to her. "Now what, ma'am?"

"Now, Major, you are going to be read in on the most classified project in the U. S. military." She picked up the folder and rose. "Please come with me."

Nash stood beside the silent Colonel and watched the numbers in the elevator as they descended. When they reached 20 with no signs of slowing, he began to feel slightly claustrophobic.

The elevator finally stopped at level 27. The door slid open, and Carter waved Nash out into the corridor. "Welcome to Stargate Command, Major."


	17. Chapter 17

**To the 'friend' who reviewed;** Nash is Jay's flight instructor—and your comment tells me I'm taking too long in between updates! Sorry! Thanks!

Thank you to all the guest reviewers! I appreciate your kind words.

Sorry the last chapter was so short. So here's another short one!

**P4X-998**

**JAY**

He crawled through the undergrowth with SG-8, and joined SG-3 about 40 yards out from the clearing. Ahead, the two Jaffa guards stood near the edge of the trees, about thirty feet apart. They both looked relaxed, their staff weapons held upright, not in ready position.

Jay searched the clearing. Nearest him were Anderson and Reiner; Satterfield, Markus and Willis further away. They were all out in the open, with no cover nearby. All of them were tied hand and foot. On the far side, in the trees, the other Jaffa were waiting, resting, talking. He could not make out how many.

Quickly, silently, Reynolds gave instructions; as soon as the attack began, Wisneski and Andrews of SG-8 would take out the guards; the other members of SG-8 would cover Jay and SG-3 while they reached the prisoners and got them back to cover.

Jay glanced at his watch. Five more minutes.

**HAILEY**

The cover was thin around the upper side of the clearing, and they'd had to swing further out than expected in order to keep out of sight. They were moving fast, crouched down low, taking advantage of every tree and bush. Jen was bringing up the rear, along with Wells and Coco, of SG-2, who were moving slightly ahead, to her left. Ahead of them, the three teams were spread out over a hundred yards or so. She glanced at her watch. Four minutes to get into position. Cutting it close.

**TEAL'C**

SG-13 and 15 were in place, in the woods in a flanking formation behind the Jaffa and bounty hunters. Teal'c scanned the group quickly. Eight of the Jaffa were sitting or squatting, in two small groups, their weapons in reach, but not in hand. Others were standing about, staves in hand, but still more or less at ease. The bounty hunters were sitting or lying on the ground, close together; some appeared to be sleeping. The only Jaffa who seemed to be alert was the commander—TeKhara's First Prime Teal'c assumed—who paced slowly about the area, causing the others to stiffen to attention when he came near.

O'Neill was on the ground at the very edge of the clearing. The First Prime paused above him each time he passed that way. Teal'c noted this; this would be the first man he must take down.

Teal'c counted eighteen Jaffa, including the guards on the far side; where were the others?

Three minutes.

**HAILEY**

Two minutes. Wells and Coco had moved further ahead. She quickened her pace.

Suddenly three Jaffa stepped out of the underbrush ahead of her. More startled than she, they stared frozen for a vital handful of seconds—while she veered sharply away, toward the clearing, bringing up her MP-7.

**JAY**

Two minutes. He eased himself up into a crouch, ready to move. His eyes roamed the clearing, caught movement off to their left…

"There!" Jay hissed, seeing Hailey sprinting out of the woods, with the Jaffa close behind, raising staff weapons.

"Now!" Reynolds shouted, and Wisneski and Andrews shot the guards.

At the same instant Jay was on his feet. "Jen! Down!"

She dove for the dirt, and Jay and SG-3 fired a barrage over her head, taking down the three Jaffa.

At that moment, gunfire erupted on the opposite side of the clearing.

**TEAL'C **

He heard Reynolds yell, and took in the situation with one quick glance. The missing Jaffa! "Fire!" he shouted, and turned to zero in on the First Prime.

The Jaffa were shocked for second, then began diving for weapons. The only one reacting quickly was the commander; he dropped instantly into a crouch and Teal'c's shots missed. The commander returned fire and Teal'c spun aside as the blast slammed into the tree where he'd been crouching. The First Prime scrambled away, in O'Neill's direction.

Staff blasts all around were evidence that the warriors had recovered from their initial surprise. Some of the bounty hunters had armed themselves and were firing on the SG teams. For many minutes the woods and clearing were a chaos of gunfire and explosions.

When Teal'c turned back to look for O'Neill, he and the First Prime were nowhere in sight.


	18. Chapter 18

**I know it's been a while. Sorry. So much distraction this time of year! Thank you to those who are still reading, and to those who have reviewed.**

**Reminder of the last chapter; Teal'c and Jay are leading a mission to rescue Jack from the Jaffa. Their plan is to move in from several directions and ambush the warriors. The timing is upset when 3 Jaffa catch sight of Hailey and pursue her.**

**P4X-998**

Within seconds after taking down the three Jaffa, Jay and SG-3 were sprinting across the clearing toward the captives. Keeping his head down Jay slid to a halt beside Anderson, and cut the Captain's hand restraints with the knife he snatched from his boot. Staff fire from the edge of the woods had them ducking even lower. Dropping the knife into Anderson's hand, he twisted around to return fire. Anderson freed his feet, then caught the handgun Jay tossed over.

SG-3 had cut the others free, and armed Satterfield and Markus. Willis' shoulder appeared to be broken and Reiner was unconscious with what looked like a serious head injury.

"Back to the trees," Reynolds ordered. "Bosworth, Libby, take Reiner! We'll cover you!"

The two airmen lifted the unconscious man, and ran for the tree line, while Jay, Reynolds and the others continued firing.

Anderson, Markus and Satterfield went next, making it to the underbrush in record time.

Jay did a quick scan of the clearing, and stiffened as he turned in the direction from which the three Jaffa had chased Hailey. A Jaffa warrior was disappearing into the woods, dragging Jack.

"Colonel Reynolds!" He pointed. Without a thought, Jay went after them. More staff fire from across the clearing had him diving for cover, but in a moment he was up, and running.

Hailey was on her feet again, and had also seen the General, and was charging in the same direction. Reynolds was close on their heels. The three of them crashed through the undergrowth. O'Neill and his captor had disappeared into the thicket, and Jay and the others went in after them.

Fifty yards later they broke through into another, smaller clearing. Before them was a Tel'tak, a Goa'uld transport ship. The warrior was hauling O'Neill through the door; it began to slide shut behind them.

Hailey, who was slightly ahead, put on an explosive burst of speed and dove toward the opening, flinging her weapon out at arm's length so that it wedged in the door, preventing it from closing.

Jay and Reynolds were instantly at the opening, Jay crouching, the Colonel above him, with their MP-7's aimed inside.

The Jaffa spun around, his arm around Jack's throat, his zat at Jack's head. "Drop your weapons, or he dies!"

"Take him out!" Jack was yelling. "He won't kill me! His goddess wants me alive."

There was staff weapon fire behind them and a shout from Hailey.

The Jaffa swung the zat and fired at the door. Jay jerked clear, but Reynolds, who had been braced against the door, was knocked back by the blast. The mechanism shorted and the door slid open.

Jay felt the end of a staff weapon shoved into his back, and heard a command in Goa'uld. He didn't need a translation; he dropped his MP-7. The Jaffa behind him shoved him hard, and Jay sprawled on the ground beside Reynolds, who was paralyzed from the zat blast. Beyond him lay Hailey; her eyes were closed but he saw she was breathing.

"Kill them," the First Prime ordered from inside the ship. He released his grip on O'Neill, who staggered and fell to his knees, unable to keep his balance because his hands were still tied behind his back.

"Commander," the second Jaffa said, gesturing at Jay. "You should look at this one."

The First Prime hesitated. "Shel nok," he said. "Bring him."

The Jaffa lifted Jay by the back of his shirt, and forced him into the ship, where he stood before the First Prime. The commander looked at Jay and his eyes narrowed; he turned and stared at Jack and then back at Jay. "Who are _you_?" he demanded.

"O'Neill," Jay answered.

"Then who is this?" The First Prime stabbed a finger toward Jack.

"_I'm_ O'Neill," Jack said. "The one you want."

"Are you sure?" Jay asked the Jaffa. "You want the man who killed Hathor, right?"

"Well, that's me," said Jack.

"Actually, it was me," Jay countered.

The First Prime snarled in anger. "Then we will have both of you!"

The distraction had been just enough.

"I don't think so," said Hailey from the doorway, and shot him.

Jay twisted sideways, driving an elbow into the second Jaffa's sternum. He staggered backwards, clear of Jay, and Hailey took him down, too.

From the floor, Jack grinned through the bruises and blood on his face. "Way to go, Hailey!"

"Thank you, sir." She turned, scanning the woods quickly and limped over to check on Reynolds. He was starting to recover from the zat blast and had rolled over on his side, and was trying to sit up.

Jay went over to Jack. "How're you doing?"

"Not my best day, Junior," Jack admitted. "But looks like it's improving. Thanks."

Jay looked around for something to cut Jack's restraints. There was a dagger in the belt of the fallen First Prime, and he pulled it out and used it to free O'Neill.

"Thanks," Jack repeated, rubbing his wrists. "I suppose you're gonna say I told you so."

"Not me." Jay grinned. "Well, not much anyway. Can you stand up?"

"Give me a minute. Go check on Hailey and Reynolds."

Jay nodded and went to the door. Reynolds was sitting up, holding his head. Hailey had sat down just outside the ship's door. Her right thigh was bleeding and her face was grimaced in pain, but she had her eyes on the woods and her weapon ready.

"Hailey," Jay said, going down on one knee beside her. "How bad is it?"

"Hurts like hell," she admitted. "There's field dressing in my pack." She tried to shrug out of the pack she wore, and he reached down and helped her. He took her weapon to stand guard, while Reynolds helped her apply the dressing.

Jack had moved out of the interior of the ship and was sitting in the door. He eyed Hailey's leg. "Good work, lieutenant," he told her. "Thank you."

She gave him a quick smile. "You're welcome, sir."

"Seems like it's quieted down over there," Reynolds commented. The weapons fire in the distance had stopped. "I hope that's a good sign."

"Can you handle this?" Jay asked. "I'll go see what I can find out. Maybe you should all get into the ship just in case."

Just then his radio crackled to life, and they all were relieved to hear Teal'c's voice. "JayO'Neill? Are you there?"

Jay thumbed the radio on. "I'm here. We're here. We've got Jack."

"That is good news, JayO'Neill. What is his condition?"

"Just a minute." Jay unhooked the radio from his shoulder and handed it to Jack.

"Alive and kicking, T." Jack told. "How are things over your way?"

"The remaining Jaffa and bounty hunters have surrendered, O'Neill. We are calling up the medical teams to tend to the wounded. It is good to hear your voice."

"Back atcha, T," Jack said. He handed the radio back up to Jay.

"Teal'c, we're going to need some medical attention over here," Jay said. "Lieutenant Hailey has a staff wound in her leg. We've got a field dressing on it. Colonel Reynolds is recovering from a zat blast. And Jack looks pretty beat up. Not critical, so let them tend to the worst cases first."

"I will do so, lieutenant," Teal'c assured him. "We will be with you shortly. What is your location?"

Jay explained where they were, and then signed off. Checking the weapon he held, he set it down beside Hailey and retrieved his own. He moved to stand where he had the best view of the surrounding trees.

Jack had his head in hands. When he looked up his eyes were bleak. "How many casualties from SG-9 and 11? he asked, his tone grim.

"Rick Barnhart is dead," Jay said quietly.

Jack nodded. "I saw that. And…"

"Everyone else is alive."

Jack looked up, hopefully. "I thought it was worse."

"Ferris and Reiner have head wounds," Reynolds told him. "Jensen has a broken leg, I think. Willis' shoulder may be broken. The rest of the injuries appear to be minor."

O'Neill looked somewhat relieved for a moment, but then the apprehension returned to his eyes. "Daniel! The Jaffa shot him—back near the stargate…"

"Daniel is in the infirmary at the SGC," Jay said quickly. "He made it through the gate and told us what happened. That's why we got here this quickly."

Jack released a breath and let his head drop back into his hands. "I was sure they killed him."

"The new armor saved him, sir," Reynolds explained. "Just like it saved the teams that were with you."

Jack nodded; his relief made him reluctant to speak just then.

"We brought ten SG teams through the gate," Reynolds said. "And three med teams." He went on to briefly outline what had occurred.

Jack nodded again. "Good," he said after a moment. He raised his head and looked around. "You OK, Hailey?" She had stretched the bandaged let out and was leaning against the side of the tel'tak, eyes closed.

"I will be, sir," she assured him.

"Someone's coming," Jay said, tensing and raising his MP-7.

Then he relaxed when he saw that it was Teal'c, with the other members of Reynolds' team, and Dr. Lam with two corpsmen.


	19. Chapter 19

**Again, my thanks to those of you still reading. And thanks for the reviews. **

**SGC Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain**

Carter sat at the main conference table, with a totally speechless Major Nash across from her. She had spent the past three quarters of an hour giving him a very abbreviated version of the situation—including a history of the Stargate, what had actually happened to Jay, and the crisis they found themselves in now. It was clearly a lot to take in at one time.

"So—he's alive?" Nash asked at last. "Jay, that is. Lieutenant O'Neill."

"Yes, he is. Or at least, he was," she amended,"when he went through the stargate at 1910 hours."

"Stargate," he repeated. "It really connects to other planets? And people can go there?"

Sam nodded.

"Unbelievable. Colonel McNamara…"

"Colonel McNamara knows. He served here at the SGC for a time, several years ago."

"I suppose it's way too complicated for you to explain how the stargate works, Colonel," Nash said.

Just then, the noise of a connecting wormhole interrupted them.

"Offworld activation!" Harriman announced.

Carter jumped to her feet. "You're about to see it happen, Major."

He followed her down the stairs to the control room. Nash's eyes were glued to the gate as it spun through the cycle; he jumped backwards a foot at the kawhoosh. The event horizon formed, and the iris closed. A few seconds later, the crackle of a radio transmission filled the room.

"It's SG-6, Colonel," Harriman said. "Visual on the screen."

She turned to the video screen, and saw the grinning face of Rob Perrot. "Major. What's happening?"

"They got him, Colonel. He's OK."

There was a sigh of relief around the control room.

"Casualties?" she asked.

"I don't know all the details, sir. Teal'c radioed me to open the gate and let you know that the fight is over. General O'Neill is OK." His grin widened. "Lieutenant O'Neill rescued him, sir. Kinda like saving yourself, huh!"

There was soft laughter around the room, but she kept her face straight. "That's good news, Major. Can you connect me to Teal'c?"

"Yes, sir."

A few moments later, Teal'c's voice came over the radio. "Our mission has been successful, Colonel Carter. O'Neill has been recovered."

"How is he, Teal'c?"

"He has some injuries. A concussion. Some bruises and burns."

She breathed out. "Other casualties?"

"Two members of the teams who were captured have serious head wounds. There are broken bones, staff burns. No fatalities among the rescuers, but several injuries. We are organizing the wounded to return to the stargate shortly."

"I'll alert the infirmary. Do you need any more help or supplies?"

"Not at this time, Colonel Carter. Would you like to speak with O'Neill?"

Sam was aware of the suddenly alert silence around her. "Not now. Just get everyone home as soon as possible, Teal'c."

"I shall."

The transmission ended; the wormhole dispersed. A shout of relief began in the control room and echoed through the entire level. It went on for several moments before it died out.

"I'm going up to the infirmary to tell Daniel the news, Walter," Carter said to Harriman. She turned to Nash, "Would you like to come with me? Daniel Jackson is another member of SG-1. He was injured in the ambush, but made it back through the gate to let us know what happened."

Nash walked with her to the elevator; they rode up to level 21, and got off in the infirmary.

They were greeted by a smiling nurse. "We heard the news up here already," she said. "Dr. Jackson is sleeping, though, so he doesn't know."

"Can I wake him up and tell him?" Sam asked.

"By all means. The news will do him more good than the sleep, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Margie."

She led the way into the small room where Daniel lay. The lights were dim and his eyes were closed, but he seemed to sense her presence and stirred, opening them. "Sam…" he said.

"They've got him, Daniel. They've got them all."

He relaxed. "How's Jack?"

"Teal'c said he has a concussion, and some burns and bruises."

"In other words, par for the course for him," Daniel said. What about the others?"

"Colonel Barnhart was the only fatality. The medical teams are evaluating the rest. I don't have the details yet. They should be starting to come back through the gate shortly."

Daniel nodded. "Good. That's good." He seemed to notice Nash for the first time and looked at him curiously.

Carter saw his glance. "This is Major Nash from Eglin. Major, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, a member of SG-1."

Daniel raised his right hand and Nash leaned forward to shake it. "A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Jackson. I hope you're feeling better."

"It'll get there. Jay told us you're his flight school instructor. He's got a lot of respect for you."

"That's… uh…that's very kind. Lieutenant O'Neill is an excellent student. Maybe the best pilot I've ever worked with."

Daniel and Sam exchanged a glance. Sam cleared her throat.

"You haven't told him," Daniel said.

"We haven't gotten that far yet. I let him know Jay's alive. But mostly we talked about the stargate, and the problem on 998. There's a lot to explain." She paused, glanced at Nash's puzzled expression, then went on to Daniel. "Maybe if you feel up to it, the Major could stay here, and you can answer his questions. And also explain who Jay is."

Daniel nodded. "I can do that. If the Major doesn't mind."

Sam looked faintly relieved. "I'll check with the nurse to make sure it's OK. They'll be sending the injured through the gate soon; I should be there."

Daniel smiled. "Yes, you should."

"Thanks, Daniel. He's got full clearance. You can answer anything he asks." Sam turned to Nash. "I'll see you later, Major."

She hurried out.

Daniel turned to Nash and gestured toward the chair beside the bed. "Have a seat, Major."

"What did she mean, explain who Jay is?" Nash asked as he adjusted the chair so he could sit facing Daniel.

"Well, that's a bit of a story. You see, two years ago Jack was abducted by an alien named Loki…"


	20. Chapter 20

**From djenie;** I'm amazed to see how many people are following this story! Thank you so much!

**P4X-998**

While the medical team tended to O'Neill's and Hailey's injuries, Teal'c contacted the SGC to report their success. After that he filled Jack and Jay in on what had happened during the fight.

Despite the timing of the attack being thrown off, the Jaffa had been taken almost completely by surprise, and many were killed or wounded before having a chance to fight back. A few had managed to score minor hits on the SG teams. The surviving Jaffa and bounty hunters had been rounded up and were currently under guard.

The wounded SG members were being readied to transport back through the gate. Everyone would be ready to head for the gate in a short time.

Dr. Lam was soon done evaluating them and decreed that neither O'Neill nor Hailey should walk on their own. The corpsmen had one collapsible stretcher with them. O'Neill was placed on it under protest, and Jay and Lieutenant Cruz of SG-3 started out supporting Hailey between them. That was awkward, however, and Jay handed his weapon to Cruz and swung Jen up into his arms.

"It's faster," he said when she objected. "Besides you don't weigh _anything._"

The two motorized supply/transport vehicles had been brought up to the first clearing, and the injured loaded on the fold-down stretchers attached to the sides. Each cart could carry four people that way. The three most seriously injured team members had been placed on the first cart, and O'Neill was added as the fourth. This vehicle headed back toward the gate, escorted by four SG teams and Dr. Lam and several medical corpsmen.

The body of Colonel Barnhart was placed on the second cart, and Jay carried Jen around and put her down on the opposite side. The last two places were taken by team members with the worst of the minor injuries. The remaining SG personnel prepared to leave.

The captured Jaffa and bounty hunters were left in the clearing in restraints. Hathor's daughter could deal with them when she arrived. The possibility of returning the tel'tak to Earth was discussed, but Teal'c pointed out that this would require several weeks' travel time, and the Goa'uld would almost surely track it down and destroy it on the way.

Once everything was secure, the second transport vehicle and the last of the SG teams headed toward the gate. They were 30 yards out from the gate when they heard the ships approaching. Looking up, Jay saw three Goa'uld death gliders sweeping down toward them, firing weapons.

"Incoming!" Colonel Reynolds shouted.

Everyone scattered for cover. The transport vehicle was in the open. Jay grabbed Hailey and hauled her toward the bushes, while the other two passengers dove away. The next blast hit the cart and tumbled it on its side, flinging Colonel Barnhart's body clear.

Jay could see the people ahead of them running for the gate. Teal'c was urging everyone along, while at the same time scanning for Jay's group.

Just then several Jaffa emerged from the woods behind them, firing their staff weapons.

The gliders targeted the gate platform, knocking three or four people down. Teal'c yanked them up and literally threw them into the event horizon. Then he jumped down to the ground and ran back toward Jay and the second vehicle.

**Stargate Command**

Sam was back in the gate room when the SG teams began returning through the gate. Dr. Lam and the medical team led the way, escorting the first transport vehicle.

Sam's heart seized when she saw Jack lying unmoving on one of the stretcher—but then he turned his head and his brown eyes found her blue ones. She could see his face was bloody and bruised, but he gave her a half grin, and she sagged a little with relief.

The gate room was filling up as the teams came through, moving forward and out of the way. Several of them appeared to have minor wounds, but they were grinning. Gracie Satterfield gave Sam a quick thumbs-up, and Sam smiled in return. There was a lot of milling around for a few minutes, with patients being transferred to gurneys brought down by corpsmen, and others surrendering weapons and gear into waiting hands.

Dr. Lam was snapping out orders and within moments she and the three other patients on Jack's cart had disappeared on their way to the infirmary. Jack halted his gurney with a word to the EMT guiding it, while Sam made her way toward him.

"You should go to the infirmary, sir," she said.

"I want to see that everyone gets home, Carter," he replied. "How's Daniel?"

"He's going to be fine," she told him.

Before she could elaborate, there was a sudden change in the activity level emerging from the gate. People were coming through running, falling, barely on their feet. Some wounded were dragged through. There were shouts:

"Gliders! We're under attack! Coming in hot!"

"Defensive teams! Now!" Carter yelled. "Clear the gate room! Everybody move out! Get medical back in here!"

Red lights flashed and klaxons whooped. Defense teams already in place were joined in moments by those on stand-by.

More people poured through the gate. The energy from a weapons blast followed them through. Several were knocked down by the concussion.

Colonel Dixon ran up to O'Neill and Carter. "How many more?" O'Neill demanded.

"The second transport was 25 yards out," Dixon told them. "Three wounded. Half a dozen escort. Perrot's team and Teal'c at the gate."

"Keep moving. Out of the gate room!" Carter ordered. She gestured to the EMT accompanying O'Neill. "Get him out of here!"

Jay sprinted through the gate with Hailey's limp form in his arms. Corpsmen Dicky Lincoln, who was just ahead of them, turned to help lower her to the floor. He ripped open her vest and immediately began CPR as Jay tipped her head back and covered her mouth and breathed for her. Others coming out of the gate dodged around them.

Teal'c emerged last, the body of Colonel Barnhart over his shoulders. "Close the iris!" he bellowed, his voice carrying easily over the chaos, and the shield slid shut. None too soon, to judge by the crashing of weapons fire hitting the other side.

An EMT with a portable defibrillator slid to the floor beside Hailey. She freed the paddles and set the charge meter.

"Wait a minute." Lincoln said, checking Hailey's pulse. "Got a rhythm." He held his fingers on her throat for a moment. "Looks good."

Jay sat back on his heels and drew a breath of his own as Jen began to cough. Her eyes opened and she stared up at him a moment as her breathing evened out, then they drifted shut. Jay glanced over at Lincoln.

"She'll be okay, sir," Lincoln reassured him. "Let's get her to the infirmary."

O'Neill, who of course had refused to be removed from the room, waved Jay over as Hailey was placed on another gurney. "What happened?"

"The gliders blasted the cart," Jay said. "We all dove for the bushes. Then more Jaffa came out of the woods behind us. They must have landed right after we left the clearing. Teal'c held them off til we got to the gate." He took a breath. "Jen took a direct hit in the chest. That's damn good armor you've got now."

Three more wounded had been added to the list, and were being moved rapidly out of the gate room. Colonel Barnhart had been placed respectfully on a gurney by Teal'c, and was also being moved.

After a few minutes, the only ones left in the gate room were O'Neill, Carter, Jay, Dixon, Teal'c, and Jack's EMT escort. Finally, Jack lay back, clearly exhausted. "Okay," he said to the young man. "We can go now, Colson."


	21. Chapter 21

Jay turned in his gear and weapons, then headed for the locker room, where he washed up, and sat for a few minutes on the bench, his head back against the wall, breathing. Two years away from this life was a long time. He hadn't lost his instincts, but he _had _gotten used to a more peaceful existence; being back took some adjusting. His body felt great, though; stronger and faster than he'd felt since his early years of black ops, his reactions at their peak.

After a few minutes he straightened up. He needed to go and see how Hailey was doing. He went into Jack's locker and found a clean tee-shirt, and put it on. Then he took the elevator up to the infirmary.

The place was a circus of activity, and he stood near a wall observing, half expecting Janet Fraiser to come barreling around a corner; Hammond had told him about her death of course, but it was hard to picture this place without her. After a few minutes one of the nurses stopped and asked if he needed medical assistance.

"No, thank you," he told her. "I'm looking for Lieutenant Hailey. They brought her up a few minutes ago."

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant O'Neill, you can't see her right now. She's still being evaluated. I can let you know the results, though."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that. Maybe you can tell me where Daniel Jackson is?"

"In room 2." She pointed down the corridor, smiled and hurried away to her duties.

The door was closed when he reached it; he knocked and Daniel's voice called him in. Daniel was sitting up in the bed. Bear Nash was seated in the visitor's chair.

Nash came to his feet with a wide grin. "O'Neill! You're really alive!" He shook Jay's hand warmly. "I couldn't believe it when they told me. I'm very glad to see you."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your coming here."

"I don't think I had much choice, actually. But now I'm very glad I did. This is just incredible."

"Yes, sir. It is kind of." Jay looked over at the bed. "Daniel. How're you feeling?"

"Getting there. What's going on out there, Jay? Sam told me you got Jack out. But it sounds like there was trouble."

"We were attacked by Goa'uld death gliders as we were coming back through the gate," Jay explained. "Hathor's daughter must have arrived at the planet. A couple of people got hit, but everybody's home. One shot hit the gate platform and some of the blowback came through to the SGC. It's a good thing we didn't hang around any longer."

"Yeah, I'll say," Daniel agreed. "Where's Jack now?"

"The docs are looking him over. He's pretty beat up, probably a concussion. Nothing that won't heal, as he'd say."

They talked for a while, answering some of Bear's many questions, discussing what had happened. Fifteen minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Daniel called.

It was the nurse Jay had spoken with earlier. "Lieutenant O'Neill, I said I would let you know about Lieutenant Hailey."

"Yes? How is she?"

"The scans showed some internal bleeding. Dr. Lam will be taking her into surgery shortly to take care of that. It's pretty straightforward; we've gotten to it quickly enough."

"Thank you," he said after a moment. "You know that her heart stopped when that staff blast hit her?"

"Yes. That looks good now. There should not be a problem."

"Thanks for letting me know."

"You're welcome." She smiled and left them.

"What happened to Hailey?" Daniel asked.

Jay explained quickly, then added, "She's the one who really saved the day out there." Then went to tell him how she had saved their lives on 998.

"I hope she's going to be all right," Daniel said.

Jay nodded. "Yeah. Me, too." He got to his feet. "Look, I'm going to go and see if I can find Sa—Colonel Carter. And find out where we're staying tonight," Jay said. "Either of you have any idea what time it is?"

Bear glanced at his watch. "It's 2315 hours—oh, wait a minute. That's central time. 2215."

"Less than eleven hours since Thor beamed Jack and me up to his ship?" Jay said in surprise. "Feels like a lifetime."

xxxxxxxx

He couldn't find Sam but he found Harriman instead. The sergeant was just going off duty, but stopped long enough to let Jay know which quarters had been assigned to him and Major Nash for the night.

After Harriman had gone, Jay headed for the elevator. On the way back up to the infirmary, he realized he was hungry. He thought perhaps Nash might be also. Maybe they could stop by the cafeteria for a late supper.

They found the cafeteria filled; nearly every person who'd been on 998, and wasn't in the infirmary, was there. The SGC ran a 24 hour food service; teams returning from missions were hardly ever on local time, and were often hungry.

Hailey's teammates, SG-5, were crowded around a corner table with Al Reynolds and SG-3; they waved Jay over once he and Nash had their food. Bosworth and Cruz got up and dragged over an unoccupied table and chairs, enlarging their space.

Jay introduced Bear Nash to the teams, and explained that he was a guest at the SGC. "Just like me," Jay added.

"Well, you're not really a guest, O'Neill," Reynolds told him, clapping him on the shoulder. "By the way, thanks for the save today."

"Yeah," the others echoed.

"Not me," Jay said. "Hailey made the big save. You guys know she's in surgery, right?"

"Yes," Colonel Sharp, her CO, told him. "Dr. Lam filled me in. It sounds like she'll be okay once they stop the bleeding."

"That's what I heard," Jay agreed. "So tell me about this new doctor; Dr. Lam."

"Seems to be very competent, so far," said Lieutenant Sam Douglas, Hailey's teammate.

"The General picked her out himself, and went all the way to California to interview her," Reynolds said. "Must have made a good sell, too, because she came back with him."

"She's a little bossy, tho," Airman Eaton put in.

"Isn't that a requirement for the job?" Cruz asked and the others laughed.

"Yeah, remember what everybody called Doc Fraiser? Little Napoleon?" added Airman Bosworth.

Everyone sobered for a minute, looking momentarily sad and nostalgic.

"I wonder what nickname this doc will get." Joe Libby's comment brought back the good humor.

They talked more as they ate. The teams were curious about Jay's life the last two years, and asked him and Nash quite a few questions. There were also a few things that had happened at the SGC that Jay hadn't known about. Most of the conversation was about the day's mission, however. It ended on a sober note when Colonel Barnhart's name came up.

"A good man," Sharp observed. "He and his wife live in Colorado Springs. They have a couple of teen-age sons. It's going to be hard on his family."

"And they can't even really tell them what happened," Reynolds added.

It was well after midnight when the group broke up and everyone headed for their beds.


	22. Chapter 22

**From djenie;** I expect that shippers have already given up on this story, but I do like Sam & Jack together, and this is my, admittedly brief, foray into that realm. **I'm rating this chapter M for sexually suggestive content**. It's an overstatement, but better safe. I hope you like it.

Once again, many thanks to those who read and follow, and those who offer comments!

**SGC INFIRMARY, THE WEE HOURS**

Several hours had passed and the infirmary was quiet at last. Dr. Carolyn Lam sank into her desk chair, exhausted and relieved. Colonel Barnhart was still the only fatality, and it looked as if it would stay that way. The head injuries of Airman Ferris and Lieutenant Reiner, while serious, were no longer life-threatening. Several broken bones had been set, including Jensen's leg and Willis' collarbone. Many wounds had been treated, stitched, and bandaged. Emergency surgery had stopped the internal bleeding caused by the staff blast which had also stopped Jen Hailey's heart. Again the new armor had proved life-saving.

One final check, and then she could turn the infirmary over to the next shift and retire to her quarters for a few hours sleep. She rose and headed for General O'Neill's room.

She found that Teal'c was standing in the corridor, blocking O'Neill's closed door. Assuming he would move for her, she did not pause, and was brought up short as she nearly ran headlong into his unyielding mass.

"Teal'c, I need to check on General O'Neill," she ordered peremptorily.

He did not budge. "I am sorry, doctor," he said, not unkindly. "O'Neill ordered me not to let anyone pass. I cannot allow you to enter."

"What?" She stared at him, stunned, accustomed to having people bow to her medical authority. "Teal'c, get out of my way!"

"I am sorry, doctor," he repeated mildly. "I cannot." And he shifted his gaze to stare, sphinx-like, into the middle distance.

Dr. Lam opened and closed her mouth once or twice, shocked into silence and inaction. When she recovered her voice, she found that nothing in her very extensive vocabulary could draw a response from him. He was a rock.

Hell—he was a mountain!

Eventually she realized she was stymied—she who never surrendered! She turned around and stalked away.

Teal'c's eyes cut sideways to watch her go.

xxx

Inside the room, Sam stifled a laugh and Jack pulled her closer against him in the bed.

"Shhh…" he whispered. "We can't go upsetting the good doctor."

"Oh, my God, Jack…" She buried her face in his shoulder and shook with giggles, which gradually turned into tears.

"Hush," he said softly, rubbing her back. "It's okay. If she comes back Teal'c will handle it," he joked.

"Shut up, you," she gasped—stuck for a moment between sobs and more laughter. She pulled in a deep breath, locking down on her emotions. "I'm sorry. I just… It was so horrible, not knowing if you were all right."

"I'm fine," he said gently. "It's hardly the first time I've been banged up."

"I know that. But not when you were on one side of the gate and me on the other. Those times, we were usually together. Not knowing was hell," she reiterated. She recalled with a shiver when Jack and Maybourne had been trapped on that moon; something she tried never to think about. At least this incident had not dragged on for weeks.

He pulled her in again and kissed her forehead. "Exactly how I feel every time you go out on a mission."

"I know," she repeated, but in a different tone. She'd been on dozens of missions since he became head of the SGC. "I don't know how you stand it. Jack, what are we going to do?"

"Lie here for as long as T wants to fend off the demons," he suggested.

She snorted. "Do you always have to joke?"

"But that's what you love about me," he said. "Admit it. If I took it all seriously you wouldn't be able to stand me."

"Probably," she conceded. "But some things _are_ serious—like the chance that one of us might be killed _now_, when we've finally figured it out—figured _us_ out." Her voice wobbled a bit at the end.

"Shhh, shh… not now, Sam," he said gently, cuddling her closer, even though it hurt his ribs where her arm was wrapped around him. The good feeling of that more than made up for the pain. "Not now. We'll talk about that later." He tipped up her chin and kissed her mouth; kissed her until he felt the tension of fear go out of her body, and her lips softened and parted, and her breath quickened with a different kind of tension.

His hand slid down low on her back, until he touched the sweet spot he had discovered she had there, and she moaned against his mouth. He massaged deeply until her breathing turned into stuttering gasps. His own breath was getting a bit out of control now and his thoughts a little cloudy as she moved against him and he shifted to accommodate her.

His ribs twanged pain and he tensed and tried to stifle a grunt.

Sam drew back instantly. "Oh, Jack," she whispered, breathless. "I'm so sorry. We shouldn't be doing this."

The pain was fading to mere discomfort as he readjusted his hips, and he relaxed a bit; his hand sliding back up her side, caressing her skin once more. "Maybe _we_ shouldn't," he agreed reluctantly. Then he smiled. "But _you_ can," he breathed. He thrust his knee between her legs and his hands were back to their task, capturing the pleasure for her before it could escape. When she reached her peak, he covered her greedy mouth with his, kissing her hungrily.

Afterward she relaxed bonelessly against him, and they lay quiet for a while. Jack found himself thinking about the three fantastic months they had been together.

_It began the day Sam broke up with Pete, and Kerry kicked Jack out of her life with those memorable words, "How long are you going to let the Air Force keep you two apart?" _

_And then Jacob died, and after the memorial service, Jack drove her home, and she cried on his shoulder. When he finally made to leave, she tried to thank him._

"_What for, Carter?"_

"_For being here, sir."_

"_Always," he answered. Then something warm and needful rose up in him, and he reached out and touched her cheek. "I mean that, Sam. I will always be here for you. No matter what, no matter when." And he heard Kerry's words in his head again, and tossed caution aside and leaned down and kissed her._

_There was absolutely no hesitation in her when she moved in to return the kiss. They clung to each other as if this were their only lifeline. He kicked the front door shut behind him, and pushed her back against the wall, and kept on kissing her until they were both nearly crazy with wanting. _

_It had been a long, gloriously lustful night. First on the living room couch, then on the rug in front of the fireplace, and finally, blissfully, in her bed._

Jack smiled to himself; it had been great. And he really didn't think Jacob would mind; his last wish was for his daughter to be happy.

But the best part was they'd been together nearly every night since then, at her house or his. They were keeping their secret—well, Teal'c and Daniel knew of course, and conspired willingly in the concealment. But now that he was probably being reassigned, Junior was right, he wouldn't be her CO any more, it wouldn't have to be a secret.

Still smiling, he relaxed and let himself doze for a bit.

A little while later she spoke drowsily. "I love you, Jack."

"I love you, too, Sam."

"Shouldn't I go now?" she asked after a few more quiet minutes.

"Carter, why on earth would I say yes to that question?" he quipped. "You can just stay here all night."

"But we can't expect Teal'c to stand out there that long," she objected—without much conviction.

"Are you kidding? T would stand there for a _week_ if we asked him to."

"He probably would," she agreed. She sighed, tightening her arms around him a little. "I just want to lay here and hold on. Hold on to this moment. It's important. Why did we resist it for so long, Jack? Why did I waste all that time on Pete? Why didn't I say something? Why didn't you?"

"That's a lot of whys, babe," he said softly. "But there's really no point in rehashing what's done. You just said that this moment is important. Treat it with respect. And love."

She said nothing for a bit, thinking about his words. "I never loved anybody before, Jack," she admitted at length. "I thought I did. But it was nothing compared to this." She cuddled in closer, being careful not to make a jarring move, and began to kiss his neck. "Mmmm… that's good," she whispered, working her way sensuously up to his jaw, catching his earlobe lightly between her teeth.

He caught his breath in a gasp. "You're definitely staying," he groaned. "I hope Teal'c has comfortable shoes on…"


	23. Chapter 23

**From djenie; ** Once more, thanks to you who read!

**Stargate Command**

Jay was awake at 0455. He lay for a little while, staring into the dark. Finally he sat up and turned on the lamp. The SGC guest quarters were as clean and bare as he remembered. The only out-of-place items were the clothes he'd shed, and the clean BDUs he'd brought with him the night before. He headed for the shower, washed quickly, and dressed.

It was still only 0518. Too early to go to the infirmary, he figured. So he decided to go to the cafeteria for coffee.

The corridors were deserted. At least they hadn't put guards outside his door, he thought wryly. The elevator arrived almost immediately. When he got off at the cafeteria he found three or four tables occupied. Eyes followed him as he went to get coffee. There were cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast in the steamers. He took a cinnamon roll and found a table and sipped his coffee. The room was quiet.

The coffee was fresh and the cinnamon roll still warm. Sweet, he thought. Jack was right, since he'd been in charge the food _had_ improved. Jay had noticed it each time he'd been in the cafeteria. He finished his coffee, got up and got a refill; he considered a second roll, and decided to wait.

When he turned around, he found two airmen behind him. He recognized them from teams that had been with the mission yesterday. He nodded and smiled and was startled when both men came to attention and saluted him. They held the posture until he returned the salute.

"Baker. Lopez. Can I help you?" he asked when they did not move away.

"Sir." Baker spoke up. "We just wanted to say thank you, sir."

"For what you did yesterday, sir," Lopez added with a smile. "Great job."

"Thanks, guys…" Jay said in surprise. The men turned and hurried away. He watched them go, bemused and warmed. Slowly he returned to his table. Afterward, each man who left the cafeteria gave him a nod and quick salute before going.

He stayed there until 0600 hours, then headed for the infirmary. When he got off the elevator, Sam was waiting for the car. She looked rumpled, but not especially tired—in fact, she looked much more relaxed than yesterday.

"Did you find your room okay?" she asked. "Sorry. I kind of got distracted—with all the chaos, you know." The last came out a little oddly, he thought.

"I was good. And I took care of Major Nash, too," he assured her. "I asked Walter. He knows everything around here anyway."

Something made her blush before she spoke again. "Thanks. I forgot all about the major after I left him with Daniel."

"Not a problem," he said. "He and I and Daniel had a nice talk, and then went to the cafeteria for a late supper. Not Daniel, of course. How's Jack this morning?"

"Ahh… umm." She blushed furiously again. "Sleeping. Yes. He's sleeping. Well, I have to get going. Probably see you later." And with that she was gone.

"Yeah, bye," he said to himself as the elevator doors closed.

He headed toward the central nurses' station, and met Teal'c in the hallway. "Morning, T. Where've you been so early?"

"Guard duty." Teal'c said, and kept walking, hands behind his back, eyes front. He did not pause when Jay stopped and stared after him. _What the heck…?_ he thought.

At the nurses' station, he asked about Hailey.

"She's sleeping, Lieutenant," the nurse told him. Her name tag read Lt. K. Parker, RN. "She's doing fine. You can look in on her if you want. Just stay quiet."

Jay was still wondering about Teal'c a few minutes later, as he stood at the foot of Hailey's bed and watched her sleep. There was a tap on his arm. He turned to face Nurse Parker.

"Lieutenant," she said softly, "Dr. Lam would like to see you in exam 4." When he raised an eyebrow, she went on, "You didn't get your end-of-mission checkup."

"Oh. Well. Nobody was paying attention to me." He followed her down the hall.

Parker looked up at him with a grin. "Oh, _everybody_ has been paying attention to you, Lieutenant. Believe me." She opened the door with number 4 on it. "Have a seat. She'll be right with you."

He did as he was told, climbing up on the exam table. New exam rooms, he thought. Private. There were only curtains before. So everybody was paying attention to him, huh, he thought, remembering the men in the cafeteria. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. At least they were doing it quietly so far.

The door opened and Dr. Lam entered, brisk and businesslike. "Good morning, Lieutenant O'Neill. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine, doc. I just came up to see Jen Hailey, but she's still sleeping. Parker said she's going to be okay?"

"Yes," Lam said. "The surgery was simple and we had no complications. She'll be in here a few days until she heals, but she's going to be fine. Did _you_ sustain any injuries yesterday?"

"No, ma'am. Nothing at all. Thanks to Hailey. She took down the Jaffa who had his zat to my head."

"Well, I understand you returned the favor in the gateroom."

"No, that was Lincoln. I was just window dressing."

She nodded. "Can you take your shirt off for me, please."

He pulled it over his head and she used her stethoscope to listen to his heart and lungs. Then she looked at his eyes, ears and throat. "Now lie back." She did the belly poke thing. Next she checked his arms and legs, and his joints for swelling. "Okay, you can sit up and put your shirt on." He obeyed while she made notes on a chart. "Height? Weight?" He told her. "How old are you?"

He laughed. She looked up at him, and after a moment, she smiled. "I guess that's a tough question."

"My military ID says I was born October 20, 1979."

"So we'll go with 25," she said, writing it down. "And hope that next month it won't be 30."

"You heard about that, huh?"

"Oh, yes. That's really the reason I wanted you in here. I'm going to get blood samples, too, and run some metabolic tests that we can use for a baseline later to determine whether the Asgaard's adjustment to your DNA was effective."

"How long have you been here, doc? At the SGC?"

"Less than a month. Why?"

"Because you're already talking like an old hand. You didn't even stutter over the word _Asgaard._"

She actually laughed at that. "It _was _a bit overwhelming at first, I admit. But I must be getting used to it." She closed the chart. "I think we're done for now. I'll send the lab tech to find you later and take those blood samples."

He got off the table. "I'd like to go back and see if Hailey's awake. By the way, how's Jack today?"

She got a very odd look on her face. "I haven't seen him yet this morning."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'll go see him later. Bye, doc."

She watched him go. General O'Neill's room was her next stop. She headed in that direction, somewhat warily. But there was no Teal'c in evidence in the corridor. She knocked lightly on O'Neill's door. There was no response, so she pushed the door open. In the dim light she could see that he was sleeping. She checked the readouts on his monitors, which were all good. His face looked as if the swelling had gone down already and the bruises were less obvious. She decided not to disturb him now, but to come back later for a thorough examination.

xxxxxx

Jay was sitting beside Jen's bed when she opened her eyes. He was reading a newspaper, and at first did not realize she was awake. Somehow, she was not surprised to find him there. She wondered at that. She thought it was probably because his was the last face she remembered seeing.

"…in the gateroom…" she murmured.

His head came up and he smiled when he saw her looking at him. "Hi," he said, putting the paper down. "Nice to see you awake."

She looked around. "Infirmary."

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Since yesterday evening. It's about 0715 hours now."

She tried to draw a deep breath, stopped halfway in pain. "Ow…"

He stood up quickly. "Are you OK? Don't move—I'll get the nurse…"

He started to turn away, but she caught his hand. "No. Why's my chest hurt so much…?" she managed.

"You got hit with a staff blast while we were running for the gate." He closed his fingers on hers. "Let me call the nurse."

"Better now." She smiled a bit. "Just won't breathe…"

"Kinda drastic, don't you think?" he asked with a smirk.

She gave a small laugh, which did nothing to help the pain. "Don't say anything funny," she hissed.

"Sorry!" he apologized. "I'm sorry." He located the call button and pressed it with his free hand.

"Water?" she asked. Her throat was dry.

"Probably should check that with the nurse first. You just had surgery."

"Surgery? Why?"

"You had some internal bleeding," Jay said. "The armored vest stopped the blast, but it banged you up pretty good. You're going to be fine, though. Dr. Lam fixed it."

"The vests worked, huh…"

"Yep. Saved several people yesterday. Including Daniel, and probably Jack, too."

She smiled a little. "Good. We hoped it would."

"We?"

"I helped build them. Reengineered Kull warrior armor…" She winced and paused.

"Hey, stop talking if it hurts like that," he said, worried. "You can tell me later."

"You staying…?"

"Well…for a while, at least. Or do you mean here with you? Sure, I'll stay."

The promise seemed to relax her, but she kept hold of Jay's hand. When Parker appeared a few minutes later, and tried to shoo him out, Hailey refused to release him. Parker grinned and humored her, checking Jen's vitals, and then nodding to Jay to look away when she looked at the incision.

"Everything looks good," Parker said. "I'll let Dr. Lam know you're awake, and I expect she'll be in to see you soon."

"How bad does it look?" Jen wanted to know, touching her chest.

"Pretty bruised," Parker admitted. "Black and blue. You're going to be sore for a while. No ribs broken, though, amazingly enough. Do you want anything before I go?"

"Water?" Jen asked. "I'm dry."

"I'll get you some ice."

"Thanks, Kit." Jen started to adjust her position, and stopped with a grunt.

"I'll see if I can get you something for the pain, too," Kit said. She went out, and returned in two minutes with a cup of crushed ice and a plastic spoon. "I saw Dr. L in the hall. She'll be here shortly." She left again.

Jay took the cup in his free hand. "I'll feed ya some of this if you gimme my hand back," he teased mildly.

"Yeah. Okay, sorry." She blushed and smiled and let go of his hand.

"Don't be sorry," he said as he spooned ice between her lips. "It's just easier to do this two handed. You can have it again later. You can have both of 'em. After all, you saved my life."

She didn't answer because she was letting the ice melt in her mouth, and it felt great in her throat, but his comment made her blush harder. He was a little amused—Hailey hadn't seemed the blushing type. Nor the type to smile much either, but she had a nice one.

He kept talking as he gave her more ice. "You know what they say about saving someone's life don'cha? After that you're stuck with them."

"…responsible for them…" she corrected around the ice chips.

"Responsible. Hey, good! I like that." He grinned. "Means you gotta follow me around and fend off bad guys, right?"

"Hah!" she managed, and was pleased when he laughed. She liked the way he laughed.

Just then Dr. Lam stepped through the curtain. "Smiling is a good sign," she said, noting Jen's face. "How are you feeling, Lieutenant?"

"Kind of like somebody used me for a football," Jen admitted, but the smile stayed in place.

"I'm not surprised. Parker said you were in some pain. I brought something for that." She uncapped the syringe in her hand and injected its contents into Hailey's intravenous line.

"Whoa…" Jen said, instantly woozy. "Dizzy makin'…"

"That'll help the pain. It'll make you drowsy, too." Lam capped the used needle and slipped it into her pocket. "Let me just check you over." She did so quickly, carefully, taking extra time listening to Jen's heart. "Okay. That sounds good. I'll be back later. The pain will be better, but please try not to move around."

"S'okay, doc," Jen said. "Feels better a'ready…"

Lam smiled and left.

"You sound like you've had a few," Jay commented, teasingly.

"Mmm…" she replied. "Bet I do. Feels kinda like it… Pain's gone, though." She reached toward him, made bold by the meds. "Where's that hand you promised?"

"Right here." He covered hers with both of his, and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed.

She gave him a loopy smile.

"Lam will probably chase me out soon," he said.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Stay 'til I fall asleep…?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Her eyes were closing. For the next few minutes she drifted, mumbling occasionally.

He waited until her breathing grew deep and regular.

"I'll come back later," he whispered, giving her hand a final squeeze. There was no response. He smiled and left the cubicle.


	24. Chapter 24

**JACK**

Sam was gone when Jack woke. He was disappointed. Not that he blamed her for not wanting to get caught in his room. He was pretty sick of sneaking around, though...

He turned carefully onto his side, pleasantly surprised when there was only the smallest twinge of pain in his ribs. What time was it? In the glow of the dim night-light, he had to squint to read the clock on the wall. 0755. Morning. He needed the bathroom. Bad. Gingerly, he sat up and swung his legs down to the floor. Rubbed his ribs; sore, but not unbearable. Monitor leads attached to his chest impeded him, so he pulled them off and stood up slowly. He was nearly to the bathroom when the outer door opened and Dr. Lam appeared.

"Your monitors are disconnected... General! What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"I need to pee, doc. Be right back." And he stepped in and shut the door behind him.

She was standing there when he emerged a few minutes later.

"You should have rung for the nurse," she scolded, grasping his arm to help him back to the bed.

"I'm not helpless, doc," he protested. "I can walk. My legs are fine and the ribs don't even hurt that much." He sat down on the side of the bed.

After he was seated, she switched on the overhead light, and put her stethoscope in play. "Breathe in—slowly, as deep as you can."

He did as she instructed, and was pleased to see that the pain was tolerable. She pulled the johnny aside and examined his torso. "The bruising is much better," she commented. She checked his back and legs, then his shoulders and arms, moving the joints carefully. He made no protest. "Sore?" she asked.

"Not enough to complain about. Just around the ribs, actually."

She used her penlight to check his pupil reactions, nodding at his response. She studied his face more closely and frowned. "Turn toward the light." He obeyed. "That's odd," she said to herself.

"My face is odd? Nothing new about that," he quipped.

She didn't smile. "The swelling's gone and the bruises have cleared up quite a bit. Even the cuts are starting to close. You're a fast healer, General."

"I guess that's a good thing," he said. "Never really noticed, to tell the truth." She started to reattach the monitor leads. "Do I really have to have those?" he protested.

"Well, you are obviously doing better," she conceded. "I'll leave them off, unless there's some other problem. You have to promise to stay put, though." She eyed him until he agreed. "I'll have them send in your breakfast shortly. Is there anything else you'd like? Within reason."

"Phone," he said. "I'd like to know what's happening. Also, how are the rest of the people from yesterday doing?"

"Most of them are doing very well." She gave him a quick update on each one. "There are some I haven't seen yet this morning, but the night shift reports look good. And I'll arrange for a phone in here."

"Thanks. I appreciate the job you're doing here, doc," he added. "You seem to have settled in to the SGC very well."

"I'm beginning to feel comfortable, General. Of course it's an amazing facility—all the latest equipment, and excellent people. Some of the cases are certainly unique, though."

"Just wait, doc. You ain't seen nothing yet."

**CARTER**

After she left Jack's room early in the morning, Sam had gone to her quarters to shower. As the hot water ran down her body, she thought about the past few hours in Jack's bed. It was reckless of them to do that, of course. But at that point she desperately needed to be close to him. Thank goodness for Teal'c! She giggled when she thought of him standing guard outside the door. He'd been there…what, 4 hours or more? She'd have to do something really nice for him soon!

She finished showering, put on clean clothes and headed down to the control room to check things out there. She knew she would have been called if there had been any need, but she wanted to be doubly sure. The day shift was in place, and Sgt. Harriman handed her the night shift report to read. It had been an uneventful night, with no gate activity and no other issues having surfaced, and after exchanging a few words with the people on duty, Sam headed up to get breakfast.

Major Nash was in the cafeteria, sitting with Colonel Reynolds of SG-3, and after grabbing a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, Carter joined them. Reynolds chatted for a few minutes and then left.

"Did you sleep well, Major?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. Thanks. This place seems more settled down this morning, Colonel."

"Yes it is. No problems overnight. We need to meet with you to come up with a plan for Lt. O'Neill, though."

"I'm available any time you want me, Colonel," he said. "I saw Jay last night, but we didn't discuss his dilemma. I've been thinking about it, however, and I have an idea, if you want to hear it."

"Go ahead," she told him. "I admit, it hasn't been foremost in my mind for the past few hours."

"I understand that," he smiled. "It's simply this; maybe we can arrange for it appear that I radioed in the wrong co-ordinates for the crash. Of course, that'll only work if there's no floating debris, but we can find that out easily enough. I can contact Colonel McNamara and find out how the search is going."

"Okay. But how would that help?"

"Well, if it seems that the plane went down say a couple hundred miles further west, where no one's been searching, then we can figure out some way that Jay could have survived, maybe picked up by a fishing boat, or still in the water with his floatation device. The water's pretty deep out in that part of the Gulf. The plane won't be easy to find."

Carter thought about it a minute. "Sounds like it has possibilities. We'll meet with Lt. O'Neill as soon as Gen. O'Neill is able, and see what we can work out."

"How is General O'Neill this morning?"

"I haven't heard anything yet." She hid behind her coffee cup. "I'm heading up to the infirmary after I eat to check on everyone."

"I heard there were some serious injuries. And fatalities?"

"Yes. One fatality. Nothing else life-threatening, thank goodness."

"Jay seemed pretty concerned about a Lieutenant Hailey," he commented.

"Jennifer. Yes. She was hit by a Jaffa staff blast just before they got back through the gate. It stopped her heart, but they got it going again. The lieutenant was with her."

"Staff blast?" Nash asked. "What is that, Colonel?"

Her explanation led to more questions, and more explanations…

It was nearly 0930 when she left the cafeteria and headed for the infirmary. She stopped at Daniel's room first, but found it empty. When she asked a nurse in the corridor, the nurse smiled. "I think he's down in General O'Neill's room."

She found Daniel and Teal'c both in Jack's room. Daniel was in a wheelchair, his left arm in a sling, and a bandage on his forehead. Jack was sitting up in bed, eating the last of his breakfast. Teal'c rose from the visitor's chair as Sam entered, offering it to her.

"Stay there Teal'c," she said, with a smile. "You deserve to sit down for a while today."

Jack chuckled. Teal'c bowed to her, and resumed his seat.

"What?" Daniel said. "Did I miss something?"

"I don't know, Danny boy," Jack said innocently. "Breakfast?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Daniel looked from one of his teammates to another.

"They refer to my mission yesterday, DanielJackson."

"Yep, your mission," Jack put in under he breath.

"How are you feeling, Daniel?" Sam said quickly, to divert the laughter that was threatening to burst from her.

"I'm okay, Sam," he replied. "Sore, but Dr. Lam says I'll be on my feet in a couple of days. Jack here seems to be recovering quickly."

"Oh? Is that so, sir?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "The ribs feel much better. Even the bruises are healing. Doc says I'm a fast healer."

"Well, that's great. Any word this morning about the others in the infirmary?"

Jack filled them in on the updates that Dr. Lam had given him. "Ferris and Reiner have both regained consciousness, and things look good. Hailey had surgery for internal bleeding, and that went well. Doc says she's in quite a bit of pain, but that's to be expected. The others are on the mend. Half a dozen have already been released from the infirmary."

"That sounds like progress," Daniel commented.

"I spoke to Major Nash in the cafeteria this morning," Sam said. "He has an idea for solving Lt. O'Neill's problem."

"Oh? How's that?" Jack wanted to know.

She explained Nash's idea to them. "He's going to call Col. McNamara at Eglin and find out whether the searchers have found any sign of the plane. If not, then we may be able to pull this off."

"That sounds like a good plan," Daniel said. "This time of year the Gulf should be warm. We can have him dropped out there just before they switch the search area. Can he swim?" This last was directed at Jack.

"Yep. Swimming's not a problem. He should've been wearing an inflatable life vest anyway."

"What are the chances, Jack?" Daniel, who knew Jack very well, asked.

"Yeh. I never was very good at remembering those kinds of things," he conceded. "But they don't have to know that."

There was a knock on the door, and it opened to admit Jay and Bear Nash. "Well, good morning, everyone," Jay said. "Look who I found wandering around the corridors."

He opened the door wider and stepped aside, and General Hammond walked into the room. There were several moments of delighted greetings.

"Couldn't stay away, sir?" Jack asked as things quieted down.

"I had to see how you and the rest of the teams were doing, Jack," Hammond told him. "I'm glad to see you looking so well. You, too, Dr. Jackson. I was worried. And it was an excuse to get out of DC for a while."

"Never a bad thing," Jack commented as the others smiled. "I see you've met Major Nash."

"I have. And we've been discussing his idea for getting Jay back to Eglin."

"I called Col. McNamara," Bear told them. "He says there's no sign of any debris from the plane. I explained my idea and if you-all decide to go that route, he can redirect the search with five minutes notice."

Jack glanced around a the group; they were nodding. "Then all we need to do is work out the details."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	25. Chapter 25

It was 1120 hours when Jay went back to Hailey's room. She was sitting propped up in bed, eating jello. There was color in her face and she looked much more comfortable than when he'd seen her a few hours ago.

"Hi," he said, grinning. "You're looking better."

"I feel better, too." She returned the smile. "Sore—but not hurting like I was."

"I'm glad." He sat down carefully on the side of the bed. "I wanted to thank you again for saving my life out there. You were great!"

"Just doing my job. Besides, you saved me first—those Jaffa would've killed me for sure. Not to mention the fact that you brought me back through the gate after I was shot, and gave me CPR." She reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze. "I think we're more than even." She started to withdraw her hand, but he caught and held it. When he was quiet for a long moment, her eyes narrowed. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Shortly. I came up to say good-bye. They've figured out a way to get me back without raising suspicion."

"I thought so." She was not surprised, but she admitted to herself that she was disappointed. "I heard that General Hammond arrived this morning—thought it might have something to do with that."

"Wow—the info hiway still works around here! Yes. Major Nash came up with an idea, and General Hammond and Colonel McNamara at Eglin are gonna make it happen." He was holding her hand in both of his now, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

"How're they going to do it?"

"Well—it seems that the Major—in his agitation—called in the wrong coordinates for the crash; he transposed a couple of the numbers. So my plane 'actually' went down 200 miles southwest of the area where they're looking for it."

"Oh, I see," she said, playing along. "But I can understand how the Major could do that—it's an easy mistake to make." One of her fingers was stroking circles in his palm. "Won't that get him in trouble, though?" she added in all seriousness.

"Colonel McNamara will see that it doesn't," Jay said. "Now they just have to drop me in the water to wait for the rescuers."

"I didn't think of that." Her mouth quirked up at the corners. "Can you swim?"

"Yep. And I'll have the life vest that I actually remembered to put on at the start of the training exercise." His sarcasm told her he'd had no such item on the flight.

"Hooray for second chances," she quipped, but there was a frown between her brows.

There was a brief silence before Jay went on. "They're flying me down to Texas, then out over the Gulf by chopper. It'll take a few hours. Probably a couple hours to Houston, then two, maybe a bit more out to the spot they'll drop me. They'll divert the search and rescue at the same time—so they _should_ pick me up before dark. The sun doesn't set til after eight."

"You can't stay in the water overnight!" she protested. "Why can't the chopper that drops you circle back and 'rescue' you?"

"Hey," he said, a little surprised that she seemed concerned about him. "Don't worry about me. Major Nash will be in the chopper. He'll make sure everything is okay." He grinned. "Look, I'll call you as soon as I'm out of the water."

"Promise," she said. "Even if it's late."

He nodded. "Promise."

She relaxed a little. "When are you leaving?'

"Noon, from here. Driving over to Peterson with General Hammond and Major Nash. The General is flying back to D.C."

"I heard that General O'Neill is being promoted and sent to Washington," Jen said, changing the subject. "And there's already talk about you being reassigned to the SGC."

"How do you hear these things in here?" he asked in surprise.

"I know people. And they talk."

"Well—it won't happen. At least... I can't say about Jack's promotion. But the part about me won't happen."

"Not what you want, huh?"

"No," he declared. "I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm not Jack anymore... More important, I don't _want _to be Jack." He took a breath. "Up until two years ago all of my memories are _his_ memories. I'll never be free of them, but I've started to make my own. I can't come back here and live his life again. His life and his past don't belong to me. His friends aren't my friends. They made that perfectly clear. When they realized that Jack was still out there somewhere, they... dismissed me." He shook his head. "Sorry. Being here has brought back a lot of _bad_ feelings—as well as good ones. But I can't even consider making it permanent."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "If it helps, I don't think of you as anyone but Jay, a smart, great guy that I just met, a good soldier who saved me. And I still think it's a bitch that you have to live with all that!"

She sounded very fierce, and the fact that she would stand up for him lightened his spirit.

"And those who went on the mission with you are saying they like you and respect you—and not a damned word about you being...him! I just thought you should know that."

"Thank you," he said. Impulsively, he lifted her hand and kissed it. "Thank you very much." Her eyes widened, and Jay felt a blush rising toward his face. He looked away, then back into her eyes. "I... uh... I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" she asked when he paused.

"I was wondering... when you feel better. You'll be on medical leave for a while... How would you like to come down to Florida for a visit?" The last came out in a rush.

Her smile lit up her face. "I'd love to!"

"You would?" His answering grin was just as bright.

"I would! I will! There are beaches down there, right? I love beaches."

"Beaches galore," he assured her. "Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world." He leaned over and kissed her happily. After a moment, the kiss grew more serious, and he braced his hands on the bed, beside her shoulders, so he would not risk hurting her. Her hand came up and touched his cheek in a soft caress. More than a minute passed before he pushed away reluctantly. "I'll call you."

"Yes," she said.

He stood up, grinned at her, and then was gone.


	26. Chapter 26

**Jen**

She stared at the door for a long time after Jay left, the dish of jello forgotten in her lap. She couldn't remember ever wanting anything as much as she wanted him to come back and sit with her and talk to her. Of course the kissing wasn't bad either! But that wasn't the most important thing.

Seriously, she thought—why did _he_ have this effect on her? In her four years with the SGC, she had never even looked at General Jack O'Neill as anything but a superior officer—had literally never noticed if he was attractive or charming or clever or anything other than one of the many people whose orders she was required to follow. And yet, Jay had caught her attention immediately—walking together through the woods on 998, focused on their mission, she'd still thought in one corner of her mind that here was someone she could really like.

When she'd been blasted in the leg, she was sure she was down for the count until she realized that the Jaffa intended to take Jay prisoner—very likely kill him. She did not even remember making it to her feet, only aiming her weapon and killing both of the Jaffa warriors.

Jennifer Hailey had never had time for things like boyfriends. Graduating from high school at thirteen, she was too young to be accepted as part of the social circle of her classmates, even if she had wanted or been allowed to. She had almost no friends among her classmates. Her parents were extremely strict and protective. After graduation she was accepted at Dartmouth's School of Engineering, located in the same town where she lived, Hanover, New Hampshire, so she lived at home. Both her parents were Dartmouth alumnae and were physicians at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. They urged Jen to go into medicine, but she resisted the idea; as she got older she had become more and more arrogant and uncooperative.

At sixteen, Jen had her degree in Engineering Science from Dartmouth; and was recruited to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and, over her parents's objection, decided to accept. Headstrong and difficult to start with, at the Academy she had became a disillusioned and angry—though clearly brilliant—student, who barely managed not to be dismissed more than once for insubordination and 'behavior unbecoming.' Then in her second year, she met Colonel Samantha Carter, and learned about the Stargate Program. Finally, she felt she had found a direction for her life, and devoted the rest of her time at the Academy to that goal.

She was accepted in the Stargate Program after graduating from the Academy—by then she was nineteen, and eligible for active duty—although it was another eighteen months before she was assigned to an off-world team on a permanent basis. Until then, she worked under Colonel Carter, in the Research Department.

Through all of this she had no time for a social life. She'd been asked out on dates at the Academy, and later at the SGC, but no romantic relationship had ever developed from any of them—in fact, she tended to avoid allowing friendship to go in that direction. Her friendships were with her lab partners, and later on, her teammates. She was focused on her studies and later her work at the SGC. So she had never had a romantic attachment to anyone. And had never regretted it.

What made Jay different? What made her different with him? She'd known him less than twenty-four hours. She'd known him all her life.

**Jay**

Jay went to the briefing room to meet General Hammond and Major Nash for their departure, and was startled to find a large group of SGC personnel there to say good-bye. Reynolds and his team all shook Jay's hand, and wished him good luck. The members of Hailey's team were there, also. A dozen men from other teams were present.

Teal'c bowed to him solemnly, saying, "It was an honor to fight alongside you, JayO'Neill."

"The honor was all mine, Teal'c, believe me."

Jack showed up, pushing Daniel in his wheelchair. "Lam had to let me out," he told Jay. "She couldn't argue when I said I was good to go." He shook Jay's hand. "Thanks, Junior. I appreciate the save."

"You're welcome, Jack. Just be sure Hailey gets credit for what she did."

"Absolutely. I'll have to look into how long she's been here—may be due for promotion."

"That'd be cool. She's a good person, Jack."

"It was good to see you, Jay," Daniel told him. "I hope things go well for you from now on."

Carter arrived just as they were about to leave. "Good luck, Lieutenant," she said.

"Thanks, Colonel." He felt awkward and formal with her.

"And thank you for what you did," she added. "Look, I want to apologize for snapping at you yesterday. I was stressed..."

"It's okay. No harm done."

Hammond and Nash were headed for the elevator, so he trotted to catch up with them.

"You okay, son?" Hammond asked him once the elevator doors closed.

"I'm fine, General. And I'm even glad to be leaving." He looked over at Bear. "I just hope the Major here isn't going to dock me points for losing an Air Force fighter!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Only one chapter to go. I am thinking about writing more about Jay and Jen. Anybody who has an opinion about that, I'd welcome your thoughts.

Thanks always to everyone who has read my stories!


	27. Chapter 27

Six days after his successful rescue from the Gulf of Mexico's balmy waters, Jay flew back to Colorado Springs to attend a memorial for Colonel Rick Barnhart. The funeral had been held three days before in Barnhart's hometown of Macon, Georgia; afterward, the family had flown his body to Virginia to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial was arranged because Barnhart had had many friends at the SGC and in Colorado Springs who could not travel to the funeral.

Jay rented a car when he arrived in the Springs, and planned to take Jen, whom Dr. Lam had released from the infirmary to attend the service. Teal'c and Daniel would be riding with them. Daniel had been out of the wheelchair for a few days now, but was still a little slow on his feet. His recovery was proceeding normally, but much slower than Jack, who at this point was showing no signs that he had even been injured.

Before they were to leave for the service, Dr. Lam called Jay into her office. The doctor had what appeared to be lab reports on her desk in front of her. Jack was there, seated across from her.

"Sit down, Lieutenant," Dr. Lam invited, indicating another chair. "I have some test results I'd like to share with both of you."

Jay took the seat, and waited.

"Lieutanant, these are the results of the tests we did today."

"That was quick." He had arrived at the SGC very early that morning, because Dr. Lam had wanted to do a full battery of tests.

"We have the best facilities here," she said. "We can be very fast if we want to be. I ran all kinds of blood tests and scans on you. And I ran pretty much the same tests on the General yesterday. And frankly the results are astonishing."

Jack and Jay exchanged a look. "How so, doc?" Jack asked.

"Well, to begin with, they're identical."

"Why is that unusual, considering?" Jack wanted to know. "After all, he's my... you know, my mini-me."

Jay chuckled and Dr. Lam smiled. "I don't mean the DNA, General," she explained. "That _would_ be the same. But it isn't just that. Let me start with the beginning. Lieutenant, it appears that the Asgaard's adjustment on you has worked. There's nothing to indicate that your accelerated aging will continue. I know it's only been a few days, but these tests are extremely precise. Your cells are aging at a slightly lower than normal rate now."

"That's really good news, Doctor." Jay was grinning. "I have to admit I was a little worried, even though the odds were in my favor. So now I can claim to be 25 and be telling the truth?'

"Essentially, yes," she confirmed. "In addition the Asgaard seem to have put your body in perfect working order—in other words, they've fine-tuned your immune system and enhanced your ability to resist illness and heal injury. At this point, you're in perfect health, and will most likely stay that way."

Jay looked astonished. "That's... amazing. How could they do that?"

"I only wish I knew," Lam said. "If I could figure that out, it would be the medical breakthrough of the century!" She turned to Jack. "And you, General—your tests came back exactly like his. I compared the results to your medical records, and found some remarkable changes. All the signs of your previous medical conditions have disappeared. The damage to your knees is repairing itself—both ligament and cartilage. The arthritis has disappeared from you joints and your spine. The Asgaard evidently gave you the same enhancements of the immune system that they gave the lieutenant. Your resistance levels are extremely high. This is why you healed so quickly from your injuries. Even your rate of aging has been slowed slightly. Physically, at this moment your body is approximately ten years younger than your chronological age."

It was a few beats before Jack reacted. "So, no more sore knees?" he asked finally. "No more backaches?"

"I would say so, General. Even your vision has improved to 20-20."

"Hot damn!" he exclaimed. "No more reading glasses?"

"That's right," she said. "It's incredible. I would love to get my hands on one of those Asgaard medical pods you described to me!"

"Almost sounds too good to be true. Are you sure there's not a catch?"

"Not that we can find. We'll probably be analyzing the test results for a long time, but right now I don't see anything like that. I would appreciate you both being available for any new tests that I may want to run, though."

"I'm afraid I won't be here," Jay said. "But I'll be glad to come back occasionally if anything new comes up. Or send blood samples or whatever."

"Oh." She seemed surprised. "I heard you were offered assignment here at the SGC."

"I declined," he said simply. "I'm returning to Eglin to finish my flight training."

"He couldn't be talked into it," Jack said.

"It's those Gulf beaches," Jay declared lightly. "I just can't give 'em up."

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The service for Colonel Richard James Barnhart was held in a National Forest several miles outside the city. This had been a favorite place for Barnhart and his family to come on weekends. The area chosen was an open meadow, with a gorgeous view of the mountains. Barnhart had been an amateur mountain climber, as was his wife; the two had met through their mutual love of the sport.

Melanie Barnhart was in her late thirties, an athletically built, green-eyed, redhead, with an open expression and a ready smile. She and Rick, with his coffee colored skin and black eyes, had made a striking couple. Their twin boys, James and Adam, were fourteen. Nearly as tall as their mother, they stood on either side of her, close, their arms protectively around her. All three were tearful, but calm and gracious to everyone who spoke with them.

Jay stood unobtrusively off to the side with Jen. She refused to sit in the folding chair he brought along, but she did take his arm when he offered the support.

Jack was one of the speakers. Rick had been a good man, he said; someone who could be counted on in a crisis, an excellent leader, a funny guy, always ready with a joke. Rick had talked of his family constantly, Jack added; of how much they meant to him, and how proud he was of his sons. Jack's voice broke at that point and he had to pause before finishing his talk. "I thank you, Rick, for your service and your sacrifice," he ended. "I thank you, Melanie and James and Adam for your sacrifice, and I grieve with you."

Jen felt the muscles in Jay's arm tense as Jack stepped over to embrace the Barnhart family. She looked up at his face, but he was turned away slightly and she could not see his features. Intertwining her fingers with his, she squeezed firmly, and felt his fingers clasp hers in return. He turned and smiled down into her grey-green eyes. They walked back to the car hand in hand.

Finis

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I had originally planned to end the story earllier, however, I think Col. Barnhart deserved not to be forgotten.

None of our Servicemen and women should be forgotten. They have defended us for 235-plus years and we should never pass up a chance to thank them. My husband was a Marine; a niece is in the Coast Guard, and a nephew is a career Naval officer. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to them and to all the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard and National Guard personnel (I hope I didn't leave any Service out) who put their lives and welfare on the line every day, for the rest of us.

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Many thanks to you who read "Balancing Act," and wrote comments and reviews. I appreciated every word!

I have begun writing a sequel for this story. It will probably be a while before I have enough developed to justify posting. I enjoyed writing about Jay and would like to continue—maybe explore the relationship between Jay and Jen a bit more. So if you enjoyed "Balancing Act," keep an eye out—there are still quite a few cold days left in our New England winter when I won't be going anywhere!


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